


The Slowest Kinds of Burns

by Dreamtiel



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pre-Canon, Slow Burn, TW: Slurs, headcanons, hopefully there’s gonna be some GaloLio in later chapters so stay tuned, lots and lots of headcanons because not enough backstory details, tw: child abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2020-08-10 17:39:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 130,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20139385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamtiel/pseuds/Dreamtiel
Summary: A look into the pasts of Lio’s most loyal henchmen and friends. From before they turned Burnish to after the events of the movie, the bond between two best friends is like a fire that doesn’t go out easily.





	1. Fire Starter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pastelairel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastelairel/gifts).

> First and foremost, this fic is dedicated to pastelairel! You gave me something new to dedicate time to after a dark time in my life, and I can’t be thankful enough for it and you.

It all started that day in the boys’ locker room.

Sometimes Gueira didn’t know why he bothered trying. He was already well aware of how weak he was compared to all the other boys. He was well aware of how much slower he ran during running days in PE. He was well aware that despite all the food he ate he was still lanky and awkward for a 16-year old. He was well aware of how easily exhausted he was doing anything physical for too long.

He was especially aware now, with his back against the lockers and three of the other boys from football tryouts towering over him.

“That was the weakest show I’ve ever seen at tryouts,” one of them was saying. “Seriously, gotta thank ya for making the rest of us look good.”

Before he could even reply, one of the other boys interrupted. “Did you seriously think you’d make the team this year? You can’t even run the field without losing your breath.”

“That…” Gueira felt his hands ball into fists. “That’s not gonna matter when I train harder!” he blurted out. “Or are you that threatened about keeping your own place on the team?”

There was only a brief moment of silence before all three boys broke into amused laughter. “Yeah right!” the first boy roared, shoving Gueira roughly into the lockers. “No way are you ever gonna drag down the team with your weak ass.”

“I think we ought to teach him a lesson in even trying,” another boy said.

“Yeah, he’s been a pain all year in my class.”

Gueira could only watch as all three of them closed in. Despite the fire of anger in his eyes and fists ready to fight back, he felt his heart threatening to beat out of his chest. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, by a long shot. No matter what he did, it’d always end with more bruises on top of bruises. And now it was going to happen again and--

“Ahem.”

All four boys turned to the newcomer: a tall, lanky kid with long black hair that would’ve made them mistake him for a girl if not for his face and undeniably deep voice. Despite the dawning summer heat, he wore his hair down and a black leather jacket over what was definitely not a school dress code-appropriate tank top.

“Can we help you?” one of the other boys asked.

“I think you ought to leave him alone,” he said, gesturing to his phone, which Gueira then realized was held upright and pointed right at them. “Unless you want suspension. And to lose your spots on the team.” He showed them the screen of his phone, and replayed a video of what just happened. The video itself was already poised to send on Twitter.

There was no big scene to be had after that. The three assailants merely looked at each other, the first one dropping Gueira and all three of them leaving the locker room with their stuff, with one or two of the boys glaring at the newcomer and all three of them grumbling about what a waste of time it all was. Once they had gone, he approached Gueira, extending a hand to him.

“Thanks, man,” Gueira said, patting himself off once he was up. “I, uh, appreciate that.” He got a good look at the other student, soon recognizing him as a loner who sat in the back of class in some of his classes, and one of the smarter students in their grade. “Uh, Meis, right? We have math and English?”

“And physics. And it’s nothing.” Meis walked past him right after saying that, to what was apparently his locker. “...”

“That’s all you gotta say about that?” Gueira asked. He remembered how, despite Meis’ status as one of the brighter kids in class, he rarely ever spoke up. “You’re like, a real quiet kid.”

“Don’t really have much to say.” After retrieving a bag from his locker, Meis picked up what looked like an instrument case, thankfully untouched, from under the bench.

“Just wanna say thanks again…” His eyes drifted to the instrument case. “Oh, that’s yours? You play guitar or something?

A small smile graced the other boy’s lips. “I dabble. I’m putting together a visual kei band, if you wanted to know.”

  
Gueira cocked his head to the side like a curious dog, something of a habit. “Visual kei?”

“It’s like, glam rock, I guess,” Meis shrugged in a half-assed explanation. “Something rock. Some people say metal.”

“Oh that’s _really_ cool!” Gueira grinned with a sincerity that seemed to genuinely surprise Meis. “When’s your first show?”

“You’re… interested in that?” A quick but furious nod. “Well, we’re still working on getting a gig together, but… I’m gonna practice a bit on my own before heading home. If you, uh, wanna see what it’s like, I wouldn’t mind if you watched.”

“Oh hell yeah! Consider it thanks for saving my ass back there!”

_ Plus… if it means stalling getting home… _

\--

Watching Meis’ fingers glide along the strings of his guitar with a look of passion Gueira had _ never _seen on him before was a good way to pass the time before heading home. There was something charming about the way Meis played. Gueira always knew him as a quiet punk with a surprisingly witty head on his shoulders. But on the guitar he was more expressive, more enthusiastic.

After parting with his new potential friend (even exchanging numbers after Gueira had apparently proved he was genuine in his interest), Gueira found himself trying to find other ways to distract himself. He was low on money as it was, so buying take-out for himself was a no-go. And he still had a report or two to write for class. He hated English but his grades were taking a hit that he didn’t want to allow to worsen. Plus he still had something of a curfew to abide by. Better to be home early than late, he supposed.

It was a challenge every night walking up the stairs to his house’s stoop. Hesitantly, he unlocked the door and entered. He felt his whole body jolt upon entering and finding his father getting up from his armchair, beer can in hand. His father leered at him. Clearly yet another rough day at work.

Gueira could only brace himself for what was going to come after. He really wished he could’ve said with confidence that he made it onto the team. He wished he could lie a little better.

\--

It honestly surprised Gueira to find Meis staring at him in class the next day when he walked in and sat down a few rows away from him. He didn’t know how well-hidden of a secret it was, what kind of home he came from. But it wasn’t a thing for everyone else to worry about. As far as Gueira knew, his family issues weren’t even worth a passing rumor in the hallways.

So for Meis to approach him after class proved to be an experience for him, filled with mixed feelings. “Gueira, what happened to your eye?” he asked, almost too straightforwardly, but thankfully in a low voice as the redhead put away his notebook.

“Had a little accident on the way home last night,” Gueira weakly smiled, answering maybe a little too quickly. It wasn’t everyday someone asked what happened to him, yet he wanted to hope Meis wouldn’t pick up on the uncertainty in his voice. “I, uh, bumped into a street lamp while texting.”

“...” Meis’ lips were pursed, as if contemplating for a moment. “Okay… I got an ice pack in my bag if you want it. That thing looks swollen.”

“Uh--” Before Gueira could even respond, the other boy had taken off his bag and retrieved an ice pack from it, handing it over. “Thanks. Why do you have an ice pack though?”

“... For my lunch?”

“Oh. Thanks, man. Seriously, you’re way nicer than I thought.” To his relief, Meis merely smiled at the comment, unoffended.

“My band and I are finally having practice tonight, if you want to see us perform altogether.”

He perked up at that, forgetting his pains for just a moment. “Yeah, I think I’d like that a lot!”

\--

Band practice was, undecidedly, a lot rougher than Gueira anticipated it to be. Between Meis and his two other visual kei band members, one on drums and the other on keyboard, it quickly became apparent that Meis was on his own wavelength. Minor arguments would erupt every few minutes, with Gueria simply sitting there with a rapidly emptying soda in one hand and his phone in the other. Arguments about staying on beat, trying not to play too loudly (_ why _they decided to practice at one of the member’s apartments was beyond Gueira), and particularly about Meis trying to take over the show himself at some points, according to the other two members (though in Gueira’s mind, they definitely weren’t putting in as much effort.)

Practice ended earlier than Gueria would’ve liked, though. It was a real shame. He really liked the way Meis played with confidence and passion yesterday. There was a fire in his eyes then that didn’t quite show as it was muffled under the influence of the other two players.

On the way out, Gueira couldn’t help but tag along beside Meis for a while, deciding it’d be better than walking home alone. “I, uh, really liked the music you guys played,” he said.

He was caught off-guard with the tranquil fury in Meis’ voice when he responded. “They don’t know what they’re doing. We aren’t gonna get a gig at this rate if they can’t put in the same effort.”

The redhead stayed quiet as they walked another half-block or so before he found it in him to talk. “Yeah, I don’t think they were on your level.”

Meis scoffed at that. “You really think that, or you just saying that?” he retorted with a half-smile, not looking at Gueira.

“I’m serious! There’s like, this… this energy in you when you play. It’s like me with football.” He looked down at the sidewalk as they walked. “Except you’re actually good at what you do.” 

“Hey, you keep trying though, don’t you?” Meis said. Gueira looked up at that. “That’s pretty admirable in its own right.” 

“What do you mean?”

“I remember freshman year. You were that kid who tried out and, uh, failed miserably, right?” He paused in the awkward silence that followed. “I was watching the tryouts that day.”

Gueira deflated at that, shoulders slumped as he pouted. “Gee, had to bring that up, huh?” Though he hated to admit it, it stung to be reminded of that. He was a laughing stock for a good while after that among the other football enthusiasts.

“... Sorry. Anyway, you didn’t give up, right? You still went to tryouts last year. This year too. Think that takes serious balls.”

“I don’t think I’m getting in either way this time, though…” 

“Still, you get respect points for trying, for what it’s worth. I hope you get in next year, if not this year.”

“... Thanks, man.”

\--

It shouldn’t have disappointed Gueira as much as it did to find the results of the tryouts posted on that corkboard in the hallway a week later. He already knew full well how lacking he was in every way in terms of what made for a good football player. He felt a shudder run up his back upon hearing familiar voices of the three boys from the locker room snicker behind him, though thankfully they chose not to confront him on the results.

Heaving a sigh, he dragged himself out of the school, opting to lay in the middle of the open PE field near where Meis first let him watch him practice his guitar. Tossing his football in the air as he lay down, he pondered on his options. His grades were shit, home sucked as usual, and now this. He fumbled in throwing the ball straight up and it flew past him. He barely cared though, just wanting to lay in the grass. Even if it meant getting dirt and bugs in his hair.

A familiar figure leaned over him a few minutes later, holding his football. “Didn’t make it, huh?” Meis asked, blocking out the sun as he stood over him.

Gueira heaved a sigh. “Nope. Thanks for coming to rub it in.”

“Sorry. Just wanted to see if you were good.” He sat beside him, prompting Gueira to sit up and hug his legs to his chest, burying his face in his knees.

“That the only reason you came out here?”

“No, I was planning to practice. But now I’m not really feeling it.” The two sat in silence for a good while until Meis broke the silence again. “So why football, anyway?” 

It took a few seconds for Gueira to think of a good way to put his answer. “My dad used to play football with me. Like, a bunch, when I was little.” After a few moments, he glanced to the side, to catch a glimpse of Meis nodding as if asking him to continue. “So… I thought getting into the team would make him proud and junk.”

“I see…” Meis murmured.

“What about you and your band stuff?”

Meis grunted. “I just like the music. Pisses off my parents though.” 

“Yeah?”

“It’s always ‘focus on your studies, Meis,’ ‘keep down the racket, Meis.’ So fucking annoying.” He laughed a dry laugh. “Honestly? Besides my bandmates, you’re the only one who really showed any interest.”

It hit Gueira then how easily Meis let him tag along with him to band practice after a couple days of really knowing him. “I just thought it was really neat…L 

“You still mean that?” 

“Yeah! Like, the makeup and stuff, I don’t think I really _ get _ yet, but the music is pretty fucking cool!”

“... Heh. Thanks.” Meis looked down at the football in his hands. “... Weird question, but do you wanna maybe show me how you actually throw this thing?”

“Why?”

“What, I’m not allowed to try and show some interest in _ your _ thing for once?” he snarked. “Let me return the favor.” 

Gueira grinned at that, standing up eagerly and taking the ball from Meis. “If you insist, dude! Go long!!” 

“That means ‘walk over there’ in football speak, right?” Meis asked teasingly. 

“Yeah, but hurry! I haven’t someone to toss this to since tryouts!”

\--

Things fell into a rhythm after that, a sort of rhythm you just kind of accept for how easily it is to slip into it. Some days Meis would offer Gueira to tag along with him to band practice (with Gueira soon befriending Meis’ bandmates even with all the disagreements floating around). Other days they’d opt to hang out at the park with some sodas and Meis would help Gueira practice his tosses (though Meis was decidedly the absolute worst person to ever try and catch a football, which did make Gueira feel a _ little _better about himself.) Often they’d hang around school just to do homework (and boy did Gueira feel his grades improve with Meis helping him out despite his loud protests every time.) Other days they’d simply opt to walk around the streets and loiter. This went on for quite a few months.

It surprised Gueira the first time Meis pulled out a cigarette and smoked it behind a gas station after school. He never really cared for those anti-smoking campaigns considering who he lived with, and recalled a moment when he tried smoking a cigarette he stole from his dad but didn’t quite like it yet. But perhaps he should’ve expected someone like Meis to smoke. He took the cigarette Meis offered him, letting him brush close to his face with his lit one to light his in his mouth.

He was comfortable around Meis like that. Of course Gueira had other friends, friends he knew way longer than Meis. But he noticed a pattern of them moving into their own friend groups or getting girlfriends and leaving him to hang on his own. With Meis though? With Meis he felt more at ease.

It took a few weeks for him to finally divulge his home situation to Meis, but that in of itself proved greater trust than with his other friends, who barely had a clue.

“I kinda figured…” Meis muttered sympathetically, blowing a puff of smoke into the air. “Your dad’s a real jackass.”

Gueira scoffed, though it sounded more like a cough from the smoke in his mouth. “Yeah, no kidding…”

“Why don’t you just leave? Call child protection or some shit.”

Gueira’s gaze fell to the floor. “It’s not that easy, y’know… My mom would’ve wanted me to at least try and get along with him.”

The guitarist nodded solemnly in sympathy. “I see… I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be. It’s been years. But I just get so… _ angry _ at my old man sometimes…” He let the cigarette smoke roll out of his mouth in a puff. “I’m _ trying _to honor my ma’s wishes, but he ain’t making it any easier. I swear one day I’m gonna snap… tell him how it is.”

“I feel that.” Meis leaned against the building, tapping the ashes off his cigarette. “I really do…” 

“Like… Like you know the whole Burnish thing? I feel like I’m gonna end up like that at this rate.”

“You shouldn’t wish for something like that to happen,” Meis said. “You know how they treat Burnish in this country.”

“Of course I don’t want that to happen!... And just so we’re clear, I’m trusting you not to tell anyone else or I’m kicking your ass,” Gueira said pointedly. 

Meis let out a bemused, quiet laugh in turn. “As if I have anyone to tell.”

“Your bandmates?”

“We aren’t _ actually _ that close, you realize.” He blew puffs of smoke into the air. “Hell, at this point I’m pretty sure they like you more than they like me.” 

“Really? I wouldn’t think s--” 

“Hey!!” The two were interrupted by the gas station employee rounding the corner with a bag of trash in his hand. “Hey, no loitering! You two, leave before I call the cops!”

“Tch, all right, fine!!” Gueira snapped back, before nudging Meis’ arm. “Let’s go, Meis. Fucking ass…” He had to hide his smile upon seeing Meis flash a middle finger at the employee as they sauntered away from the gas station building and onto the sidewalk. 

“Ugh, seriously,” Meis rolled his eyes. “There’s nowhere to hang out around here.” 

“I’d bring you to my place if it weren’t a shithole,” Gueira offered, dropping his cigarette on the cement and stomping it out.

“I’d bring you to mine if my parents weren’t so uptight…” Meis grumbled in turn. “Though… I could bring you when they aren’t home.” 

“Shit man, you don’t have to if you don’t wanna.” 

“It beats sticking around in this heat… You know what? My folks should be outta the house right now actually, if you’re up for it.”

Gueira perked up at that. “Yeah, sounds good!” 

\- - 

The spacious and downright lavish rooms (at least; compared to what Gueira was used to) within Meis’ house betrayed nearly all of Gueira’s expectations for him. He would’ve thought they were breaking into some rich asshole’s house with how nicely decorated and _ clean _ the place was. Meis’ room, though, was everything Gueira would’ve probably expected out of him.

Posters of visual kei bands were posted messily across the forebodingly gray walls. Though he knew better than to point it out, Gueira couldn’t help but notice packs of makeup sitting on a vanity on the other side of the room, nor could he ignore the stacks of magazines peeking out from under the messily-made bed.

“Dude, sweet place,” he opted to say anyway. He meant it. “If I had the money I’d wanna do something like this with my own bedroom.”

“Sorry about the mess though,” Meis said, kicking some stray magazines and clothes back under the bed before flopping on his back. “Don’t exactly get company often.” 

“Not even chicks?” Gueira asked with a cheeky grin, only to receive a cocked eyebrow in return. “No? Seriously? You seem like the kinda guy who’d get a lotta chicks digging him.”

“You really haven’t been paying attention the past few months, huh?” Meis snarked dryly.

“Hah, see, the moment I walk into that school building, my attention span just kinda turns off, y’know?”

“I can see that… Your grades are getting better though, aren’t they?L 

“Hell yeah they are! Thanks to you, though.” Gueira rummaged through his backpack, taking out a slightly crumpled paper. “Check it, I even got an A on that last physics test!”

“You’re doing great.” Meis’ lip curled into a smile as he sat up. “Now would be a good time to study more if you’d like.” 

Although they hadn’t actually planned anything for when they arrived at Meis’ house, Gueira couldn’t resist pouting at the idea. “Aww, for real?”

“You know soon we’ll be applying for college… Actually, what _ are _you planning on doing for college?”

“... I dunno, honestly. No way could I afford the tuition without a scholarship. And no way am I getting one for grades OR sports… W-What about you?”

“I dunno what I wanna major in is the issue…” Meis lowered himself onto the floor where Gueira sat, notebooks and assignments already out. “I don’t like thinking about it.” 

“Well, I betcha’ll find out where you wanna go into soon enough!”

“Mm. Hope so.” His eyes fell on Gueira’s backpack. “So, if we’re gonna work on stuff, what do you want to go over first…” 

\- - 

If only the book they were to read for English hadn’t been a literal snooze-fest.

Gueira groaned as he picked himself off the floor upon waking up from what was probably a well-deserved nap. He shook off the grogginess, trying to take in his surroundings. That’s right, he was in Meis’ room. He picked himself up from a few scattered papers, assignments he and Meis were supposed to do together.

Of course, it proved to be so boring to him he just _ had _to doze off. He would’ve apologized then and there for falling asleep on his friend’s floor if not for the fact Meis had also somehow managed to fall asleep next to him, leaning his head back on his bed. 

A glance at the wall clock, however, sent Gueira into a panic. 

It was well past midnight. Well past the time his father implicitly found acceptable to arrive at home.

In his scramble to pick up his own scattered papers, Gueira accidentally woke Meis with the noise. “Shit, I need to go now…” he muttered in a near-frenzy. 

“Gueira…?” Meis muttered, rubbing his eyes awake. “Did we seriously fall asleep?”

“I can’t talk, I gotta get going.” Hastily, he zipped up his backpack, not caring about the messy papers inside. 

“What? What time—“ With his own glance at the clock, Meis snapped awake. “Shit, it’s late!! You need to leave!”

“That’s what I’m doing, fuck! Sorry, man, I didn’t meant to stay this long! I’ll catch you at school tomorrow!” 

“Hold on, I can give you a ride!”

“You never told me you drove?” Gueira said, eyes wide as he put on his backpack. 

“School’s close enough for me to walk, but I got a bike that’ll be way faster for you.”

Upon remembering the distance between his and Meis’ homes, Gueira nodded in reluctant agreement. “All right, but I’m just gonna owe you one more thing on top of everything else.”

“Don’t worry about it. Hurry, and be quiet, I don’t want my folks hearing.” 

Treading quietly through the spacious halls, Gueira quickly followed Meis. He couldn’t help but catch glimpses of the fancy paintings and decor situated along the walls. _ His folks must make a lot, _he thought. If he weren’t already leaving, he’d have had time to express looking forward to coming back.

But those hopes were dashed upon the flicking on of a lamp as they crossed the living room to get to the garage. Stopping dead in their tracks, the two boys turned to an armchair in which an older man sat with a stern expression.

“Meis.” Just the utterance of his name caused Meis to roll his eyes. “Just where do you think you’re going? Who is this?”

“Ugh, God,” Meis muttered under his breath in clear exasperation.

“What was that, young man?” 

“Look Dad, I just need to drop off my friend, okay?” he replied through nearly grit teeth. When the man, his dad, didn’t respond, he continued. “Look, I’m sorry, we fell asleep doing homework and—“

One look from the older man at Gueira sent a chill down his spine. He knew that look instinctively, a look of disapproval. With a heavy, almost exaggeratedly tired sigh, Meis’ father looked to his son. “Just go. We’ll _ talk _when you get home, Meis.”

Gueira turned to his friend, whose stony expression faltered just for a moment before he ushered Gueira through the door to the garage, immediately opening the garage itself once they were through. “I’m really sorry about getting caught,” he said after a moment.

“Just… don’t worry about it,” he said, not looking Gueira in the eye as he guided him to an almost pristinely clean motorcycle and handed him a helmet. “I can take anything he has for me when I get back.”

Another chill ran down Gueira’s spine. After experiencing the things he’d experienced with his own father, he couldn’t help but question that sentence. “You’re gonna be okay, right?” 

“Of course.” With that stalwart response, Meis hopped on his bike with a helmet on. “Get on. You’re gonna have to guide me as we go.”

With just a touch of hesitation, Gueira clambered onto the bike behind Meis. He couldn’t help but admire the sleek smoothness of the bike itself, even with the helmet on his head feeling like it was too small. When the bike’s engine roared to life (if they hadn’t already been caught, they _ definitely _ would’ve been caught then and there) and rolled onto the street, garage closing behind them, Gueira found himself clinging to Meis’ back out of fear of flying out the seat once they picked up speed. Then again he was probably supposed to do that, wasn’t he? He didn’t know. The fact Meis didn’t respond to it reassured him at least.

Most of the ride was silent. Every now and then Gueira had to shout directions over the wind. Meis sure did drive fast for someone driving at night. But it was just like him, Gueira thought. Maybe the speed was just a silent way of venting anger. He felt that.

As they neared Gueira’s neighborhood, Meis slowed down enough that Gueira found he could talk properly, at least enough to attempt to cheer up Meis a bit. “This is… uh… a pretty sweet ride, by the way.” 

“Thanks.” Even with Meis’ back to him and his face mostly blocked by his helmet, Gueira could imagine him smiling back at him. “Got it for my birthday. I don’t take it out very much though.”

“Why not?”

“Not enough places to go in this city. And like I said, school’s close enough to walk. I don’t wanna pay for gas all the time.”

“I’ve always wanted a ride like this baby though!!” One of Gueira’s hands found itself briefly stroking the side of the bike. “If I had one of these, I’d be showing it off.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. But personally I like ATV’s better.”

“All-terrain vehicles?” 

“You got it! Y’know, like quad-bikes. Those things are sick.” The excitement in his voice began to fade as he realized they were nearing his place. As the bike rolled to a stop, Gueira took a moment to collect himself, readjusting the straps on his backpack before dismounting and taking off his borrowed helmet.

Meis noticed his discomfort instantly. “Are _ you _going to be okay?” 

Despite his hurry to get home, Gueira stood there, almost unsure of whether or not he really wanted to step inside that house.

Still, he managed a reassuring smile and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he lied. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? You take care.”

The look on Meis’ face told him he really wasn’t getting any better at lying. Still, the long-haired teen nodded once again before starting to drive off again. “Right. See you…”

After watching his friend drive off into the night, Gueira turned around, taking a deep breath before unlocking the door and stepping inside his house. It was dark inside, like it almost always was whenever he was there. Already he felt unease pooling inside him.

Dad was getting angrier and angrier with every day after work. The bruises left on Gueira’s body were evidence of that. Every time the teen entered the house, he couldn’t stop his heart from beating out of him. He couldn’t quite stop the dread accumulating in his stomach either. 

It wasn’t fair. This wasn’t how things should be. This wasn’t want Mom would’ve wanted. 

Why couldn’t he be braver like Meis? Why couldn’t he just stand up to his own father and fight back? 

He knew full well why. He was weak. He always was, he supposed.

He just wanted to get up the stairs and pretend he wasn’t just spending longer than he should’ve at a friend’s place.

But at the first step up the stairs, at the first creak, the dreadfully familiar voice of his father came from behind him.

“_ And just where were you? _”


	2. Burning Bridges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray, I got another chapter done! A big hearty thanks to pastelairel for helping me edit and revise this chapter literally as I was writing it. You’re the best and I swear I’ll get my part of the fic trade done soon!

There was an unshakable feeling of unease the next day for Meis. He had enough to worry about, with his assignments remaining unfinished as he sat in English. Scribbling bullshit answers quickly on the paper, he cursed himself for being careless enough to let Gueira fall asleep in his room. 

He also worried the makeup on his face wasn’t quite enough to mask the punishment he took from his father last night. 

It wasn’t anywhere as bad as the black eye Gueira had months ago. Hell, Meis considered himself lucky this didn’t happen very often at all. This was only, what, maybe the third time this had happened this semester? It still caught him by surprise, though. 

Whatever. If it was to teach him a lesson, he didn’t learn anything, he wanted to say. He was just careless. If his father wasn’t going to listen to his reasoning, then he could drop dead for all he cared. 

Meis glanced at the empty seat just a few aisles away as the bell rung. 

It remained empty through the rest of first period. 

There were empty seats in math and physics too. 

Yet of course nobody else seemed to really care. Meis was well aware of Gueira’s reputation as a rowdy student, one who only really caused trouble for other students or held up the class to clown around. Still, the teachers didn’t question it when Meis asked for extra copies of the homework. 

He texted Gueira throughout the day whenever he was free. By the end of physics, he had sent probably five or six separate texts asking about his situation. 

[Hey, where are you?]

[Youre okay, right?]

[I swear if this is about your dad…]

[Just text back soon. Don’t keep me worried like this]

[Ill come check on you after school, ok? You’re seriously worrying me]

Yet still no response, even by the very end of the school day. Meis stood by the entrance to the school, staring down at his phone screen, when he felt his heart skip a beat upon seeing the “Read at 1:18” message under his last text. 

He felt another leap in his chest upon seeing the telltale speech bubble of three periods on Gueira’s side of the conversation. 

Meis waited. 

And waited. 

And waited. 

Until the speech bubble disappeared altogether and didn’t come back for another five minutes.

Meis growled to himself. “Fuck this.” Shoving his phone in his pocket, he took off down the path, toward his own home. 

He was thankful his parents weren’t home in the afternoon. It made it easier to take his bike out of the garage so he could speed down the road to Gueira’s house. 

Or rather, what was left of it. 

He had wondered why there was so much traffic along the way to Gueira’s neighborhood. He wanted to think the flashing of lights ahead of him were unrelated to Gueira, but sure enough they concentrated right where his neighborhood was. 

It wasn’t just Gueira’s house that was left in smolders, Meis found. Even the neighboring houses were partially destroyed, some even still smoldering. Meis could only stand there, propping up his bike on its stand, as he watched as policemen stood around and discussed with… what looked like army men? Definitely not just other policemen. They wore armor that was much higher tech than Meis was used to seeing, and they held guns that surely couldn’t have fired regular bullets. 

But what drew his attention most were the unmistakable trails of ice leading away from the house. 

Meis felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He immediately took it out and squinted to read the message in the bright sunlight. 

[Meis I need your help]

_ Finally, an answer!  _ [Where the hell are you? What happened?!]

It took a couple minutes of waiting until he got another response back. [Downtown]

[How the fuck did you end up there?!]

[Just come quick please I’m begging you]

[Update me I’m on my way]

With grit teeth, he kicked up his stand and turned his bike around, setting sights for downtown. 

—

_ If I’m right… no, there’s no way Gueira could’ve done all this.  _

The trails of flames leading downtown refused to die down as Meis navigated through bouts and lines of traffic, yet they didn’t draw his attention as much as the wake of destruction he came across. He passed by even more pillars of ice and wrecked buildings, all while thoughts raced passed his head. 

_ He turned Burnish. This was all him, wasn’t it? No, he wouldn’t do something like this, damn it!!  _

Every stoplight he came across, he took the time to check his phone. No updates from Gueira came until Meis neared one usually busy street, now littered with crashed vehicles and large, armored vehicles clearly equipped with anti-Burnish weaponry flying high above the clustered buildings of downtown. A few more of those officers Meis saw earlier, which he then realized were of the Freeze Force, were focused on the roaring fire engulfing another building down the street. 

[are you near the Maro’s Pizza in downtown?] Gueira’s text read. 

Sure enough, Meis spotted the familiar red and yellow structure of every pizza chain establishment. [Yeah. Where are you?] He looked around, trying to find any sign of Gueira. 

“Meis…” 

The biker turned around quickly, wide-eyed as he spotted Gueira peeking out of an alleyway. He was clutching his arm, face filled with both exhaustion and terror. Meis quickly made his way over, checking to make sure he wasn’t being followed, and slipped into the alleyway with Gueira. 

Meis got a good look at his friend. His face was just barely bloodied, a trail of blood running down the corner of his lip. He was still clutching his arm, though Meis couldn’t tell if he had been injured or if he was holding his arm in fear. He also wasn’t sure if the dark eye bags under Gueira’s eyes were always there or if they were new. Nevertheless, to see someone as usually rambunctious and hot-headed as  _ him  _ quiver and shake from stress… 

“Gueira…! What the hell hap—“

He was cut off by Gueira suddenly grabbing him by the sleeves of his jacket and pulling him in. He froze for a moment, not quite understanding what was going on until he heard a hitched sob escape Gueira as he pressed his forehead to Meis’ chest. 

Meis could barely feel the stomach of his shirt get wet with tears. Though Gueira’s shoulders were still taut with tension, at the same time Meis felt him almost relax against him.

Though he had no idea on what to do, he found himself patting Gueira’s back throughout all the barely-restrained sobs he released. 

“It… It’s all right,” was all he could think to say. 

The redhead shook his head fervently at that, hiccuping and looking up at him in terror as hot tears streamed down his cheeks. “I-It’s not… I…”

A sudden burning sensation on his arms caused Meis to nearly cry out as he instinctively shook Gueira’s hands, now engulfed in pinkish-red flames, off of him. “Nng!! Gueira—?!”

Before his eyes, he watched as his friend’s body shook from stress, the fire in his hands still blazing even as tears, some evaporating into bits of steam, continued to fall from his face. “My dad’s dead because of me…!” he choked out, the fire spreading down his arms and slowly engulfing his body. 

Though it took all his willpower to not break into a panic, Meis tried to console him. “You have to calm down, they might find you here…!” True to his word, the sound of Freeze Force officers in the distance steadily became more audible as time passed. Hesitantly, Meis reached over to offer a hand to Gueira in spite of his state. “Gueira, come on, I can get you outta here, I got my bike!”

The redhead looked at him hesitantly despite asking for his help in the first place. Yet as Gueira reached for his friend’s hand, the flames on him died down steadily, dissipating completely as Meis hurriedly pulled him to his motorcycle parked just outside the alley. 

“Y-You really came for me…” Gueira hiccuped as Meis forced his helmet onto his head. “I— I’m sorry, Meis, I—“

“Save it for later,” Meis interrupted as he then took off his jacket to give Gueira, “and take this. Might make you less noticeable.”

It didn’t take a second command to get Gueira to put it on as the motorcycle’s engine roared to life. From down the street, they could hear Freeze Force officers shouting in their direction. 

“HEY, STOP!! STOP RIGHT THERE!!”

“Shit, hold on tight!! There’s no time!” Kicking up the stand of his bike again, Meis throttled the accelerator and sped down the street, even as the sound of those flying tanks followed. 

“They’re tailing us!!” Gueira shouted over the wind, even as Meis kicked the accelerator to as high as he could manage in a street clustered with debris and other vehicles. 

Meis seemed to understand, and even with the gunshots of ice bullets behind them, his bike curved and swept along the street in graceful movements to avoid getting hit. Far ahead in the street, one of the Freeze Force’s flying tanks landed, with officers already piling out with guns at the ready. Instinctively, Meis veered a hard right into a side street, continuing to serpentine around spontaneously-forming pillars of ice around them. 

_ Just how was Gueira able to outrun all these cops on his own...?! _ Meis thought to himself. 

He barely knew the workings of the downtown streets, and that quickly became apparent as yet another one of the Freeze Force’s tanks landed far ahead of the street Meis sped down. A quick look to the sides yielded no escape route, and as Meis veered into a U-turn with Gueira clutching onto his back, they found a sizable group of other officers quickly approaching from behind. 

Meis’ heart plummeted as his bike screeched to a stop upon seeing all the officers holding up guns, all pointed at him and Gueira. 

He expected a warning of some kind, at least for an officer to shout at them to raise their hands up or to come along peacefully. He wasn’t Burnish, after all. Sure, he was basically an accomplice, but they didn’t know if he was Burnish!

Instead, he could only throw an arm to his face defensively as he heard multiple triggers fire at once with no warning. 

“NO!!” he heard Gueira cry out. 

… but no freezing sensation hit his senses. 

Instead, he felt his bike’s weight get thrown off as he felt Gueira leap off the bike, almost instinctively, and Meis felt the blazing heat of an inferno just a few feet in front of him instead. 

He lowered his arm slowly in shock as he realized that he was surrounded by Burnish flames, coiling and rising to the air in pinkish-purple and reddish-orange spires. Directly in front of him was Gueira, arms thrust forward and guiding the flames to sweep into the Freeze Force officers surrounding them. Their cries and screams filled the air as Gueira continued spreading his flame all around. 

The look in his eye was no longer that of childlike terror, but that of fierce anger. 

A soft trail of flames fell from his mouth as he let out an angry scream, and yet another stream of nearly-solid fire erupted from his body, crashing into the ground close to the officers and sending multiple bodies flying. It took a moment for Meis to hear the deafening shatters of ice bullets, yet he realized they were all instantly melting against the wall of fire Gueira had erected. 

“Gueira, that’s enough!!” Meis yelled once he realized nearly all the officers were down. “Let’s get outta here before they come back!”

Yet the redhead, hunched over in a nearly-feral state, fire and smoke still trailing from his mouth, didn’t seem to hear at first. Instead, more flames erupted from around him, now hitting stray buildings and empty cars along the street. 

“Gueira! GUEIRA!!” Without thinking, Meis reached for him, before recoiling his hand from the heat to stop himself from getting burnt. “SNAP OUT OF IT BEFORE THEY COME BACK!!”

With a gasp, he seemed to snap back, almost as if he’d shaken off a possession on him. The flames on his body died down, enough for Meis to grab him by the shirt and yank him towards his thankfully-unscathed bike. “Meis—“

“Nice job throwing them off,” Meis said, getting into his seat, “but I ain’t risking them overwhelming us!”

“I… I did that…?” Gueira asked almost breathlessly, as if falling out of a daze. 

“Yeah, you did…” Within a moment’s notice, they were freely speeding down the street again, this time with a destination in mind. “You… you did.”

—

It was tricky navigating through the rest of the city with officials high on alert and so many littered streets barricades and blocked off. Yet there were miraculously no other officers to stop Meis and Gueira, especially with the latter now completely under control and calmed down. 

Throughout the ride, whenever they found there were no people on the streets to potentially hear them (not that Meis thought they could’ve heard them regardless), Gueira told him in bits and pieces about what had happened the night before. 

_ It was a painful, burning feeling in Gueira’s chest. It felt as if something was threatening to beat out of his chest, something other than his heart, something foreign. Except it wasn’t a foreign feeling. It was anger. It was fury. It was  _ ** _rage _ ** _ boiling inside him and threatening to burst out of him.  _

_ Every blow he suffered from his father only helped to further stoke that rage inside him.  _

_ And in that instant, the whole room burst into an inferno, one made personally for his father.  _

Yet even as Gueira finished his story, even with that shameful hint of satisfaction in his voice, Meis couldn’t help but notice the regretful look in his eye, visible on his bike’s rear view mirror. 

He found no sufficient words to respond to Gueira’s explanation. No words of sympathy or encouragement felt appropriate then. He could only find words to answer Gueira’s question that followed after a long silence. 

“Where… Where are we going?” the new Burnish had asked. 

“... My place.”

Despite asking for his help in his desperation, Gueira looked surprised to hear that. “What? Why?”

“You don’t have anywhere else to go, do you?” Meis didn’t wait for an answer. “You can’t just wander around. What, did you think I’d just  _ let  _ you wander loose when all these officers are around?”

“I…” Words seemed to die in the redhead’s mouth. Had he really not thought this out?... No, of course he didn’t have time to think when his life was very well on the line. “I… I didn’t know what would happen. I thought I was a goner…” His face contorted slightly in grief. “... God, and I asked you to come for me anyway…”

“You were scared. What else were you supposed to do?”

“I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”

“I don’t care what you think about it. Fact is, I’m here and I’m not letting you get turned in.” It was no secret what the Freeze Force did to Burnish. At least, there were rumors that Meis had overheard in the hallways of their school back when more Burnish were being found out around their area. Stories of harsh imprisonment conditions, research experiments, and even worse… 

Neither he nor Gueira wanted to imagine that happening to the latter.

As they pulled up to Meis’ driveway and into the garage, Meis pondered on their options. 

“What’re you gonna do about your folks, though…?” Gueira asked. 

“... Don’t worry about them for now. I’ll handle it.” Meis led him inside just as he did last night and ushered him into his room. “Just rest for now, okay?”

Gueira nodded almost timidly and sat on the floor beside Meis’ bed, leaning back as Meis left. Meis soon returned with a bottle of water and what looked like a pre-made deli sandwich in a plastic container. He handed both to Gueira as he spoke. “Eat. Drink.”

It didn’t take much to convince Gueira to do so. He hesitated, but one nod from Meis gave him assured permission to tear into the plastic container and scarf down the sandwich. 

Meis continued talking as Gueira gulped down the water after. “Look, we don’t have a lot of options. Just… rest for now. You can sleep on my bed if you have to. Just let me take care of it, okay?”

Gueira looked up at him tiredly, not saying anything at first, probably catching his breath. 

“... Something wrong?” Meis asked. “You’re not hurt, are you—“

“Why are you doing all this for me anyway?” Gueira finally asked. 

Meis only scoffed at that. “What, you think I’m heartless or something?”

“No, just… I couldn’t think of anybody who’d actually go  _ this  _ far for me.” He looked down at his hands as if afraid they were going to burst into flames again. “I’m, like… a monster, now.”

“You’re still you, though,” Meis simply said. Gueira looked up at him again. “And I really don’t wanna imagine what they’d do to you if you got taken in… Shouldn’t that be reason enough to help my friend?” When Gueira didn’t answer, Meis turned his attention to around his room and continued. “Go take a nap. I’ll figure something out with my folks…”

“... Thanks, Meis.” Though clearly afflicted with unease, Gueira quietly lifted himself up onto Meis’ bed and curled up, falling asleep rather quickly. 

—

Gueira awoke in the darkened bedroom to the sound of shouting in what he remembered to be the living room. The bedroom door was cracked open wide enough to let a sizable amount of light in. Worried, he got up and crept around the entrance to the room. It sounded like Meis and his parents arguing. 

“Just what were you thinking?!” a woman, whom Gueira assumed to be Meis’ mother, was saying. “That boy’s face is all over the news!! What do you think will happen to  _ us  _ when they find out we’re harboring a Burnish?!”

“They won’t find out if we keep him hidden!” Meis shouted back. “I’m telling you, if you just let him stay with me—“

“Don’t you say ‘I’m telling you,’ young man,” his father scolded. “This is getting out of hand. Are you insane?! Trusting a thug like that is only going to get our house burned down or all of us arrested! Do you want that? Do you—“

“He’s not gonna hurt us!!” Gueira had never heard Meis so angry. “God, can’t you just trust my judgement  _ for once in your goddamn life?!”  _

_ SLAP!! _

His mother cried out. “Abel!! How could you—“

“I’ve had enough of his lack of respect!!” Gueira winced at the sound of Meis’ father’s voice, now raised in volume and laced in familiar anger. “We’ve given you everything you’ve ever asked for, and now you’re going to risk all our lives for some boy you barely know—?!”

Gueira nearly jumped at the sound of Meis’ mother screaming alongside the sounds of some piece of furniture toppling over and the two men fighting. Sounds of grunting and Meis crying out in frustration urged Gueira to run out to the living room, only to find Meis’ father pulling Meis’ hair roughly before shoving him down. 

“Abel, stop this!!” the mother was saying, pulling the father back. Gueira saw Meis start to rise and lunge forward, and immediately held him back too. 

“Meis—!” Gueira shouted even as Meis pulled forward against his hold with a growl.

“HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES DO WE HAVE TO GO OVER THIS, YOU LITTLE SHIT?!” His father bellowed before shaking off his wife’s grip on him. His piercing gaze fell on Gueira, and he snarled in a way that nearly sent him into a panic. “You’re gonna risk everything for him, huh?! You’ll put him first before your family?!”

“You WANT them to do horrible things to him, then?!” Meis growled back. 

“Better him than us!!” His father was left breathing heavily, hair disheveled, with everyone else in the room standing in stunned silence. 

“... You…” Gueira looked up at Meis as he spoke, to find the anger fading from his eyes. “You really are heartless.”

His father, still breathing heavily, shook his head and stumbled over to a nearby telephone. His mother, wrought with distress, spoke meekly. “Abel…? What are you…”

“Get me the number to the Freeze Force, on the fridge,” he commanded in a low voice, to which she hesitated but did as told. 

“Dad!!” Meis yelled. 

“ _ Don’t. _ ” His father looked at him in disgusted anger before his mother bought him the number on a post-it note. 

“Mom— you can’t do this!!” Meis looked to his mother, who only closed her eyes regretfully and shook her head in shame. 

“Just… Just let him do this.” She looked at Gueira with regret. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. 

“...” Gueira looked up to find the look of fury returning to Meis’ eyes, and suddenly he was being pulled back to Meis’ room. 

It didn’t register in his mind what was going on until Meis flicked on the light. Meis’ school books and folders were scattered on the floor, yet his backpack still sat full and packed on the floor against the wall alongside another duffel bag, also apparently packed. Meis roughly handed Gueira the duffel bag and slung his own backpack on. 

“Meis, what’re—“ 

“We’re going. Now. The Freeze Force could get here any minute.” Meis pulled Gueira out of the room and ushered him to the garage. 

Only his mother seemed to care what was going on, with his father still on the phone. “Meis, what do you think you’re doing—“

“If you two won’t help him,  _ I  _ will.” He shook her off when she tried to grab the bag on his back. 

“You don’t know what you’re doing!! Get back here, young man— Abel, are you just going to let this happen?!”

Once Gueira was out the door, Meis followed, nearly punching the garage door switch to open it. “Fuck you. FUCK YOU BOTH!!” he shouted over his shoulder as he slammed the door shut, nearly causing Gueira to jump. 

As the garage opened, the sound of Freeze Force sirens could be heard blocks away. “Get on the bike,” Meis instructed, anger still in his voice. 

“You just—“ Gueira paused. “Are… Are you okay?”

Meis didn’t answer at first, instead hopping on his bike and turning it on. “Just get on, please.”

Gueira obliged, getting on the seat behind him and holding the duffel bag securely on his shoulder. 

“I knew there was no reasoning with them…” Meis muttered, and Gueira swore he could hear a crack in his voice. 

Without looking back, Meis steered the motorcycle out of the garage, and soon they were speeding down the street towards the city exit as the Freeze Force sirens grew louder behind them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’re from the Promare Discord and you liked my work or wanted to chat, hit me up! I am now Mad Birdish | GueiMei Thot (Chu) because I am mad, a bird, and a GueiMeis thot. Evidently.


	3. Wildfire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally chapter 3 was going to include even more content, but then I realized the word count was surpassing chapter 1 + 2 combined, so... Unfortunately, we don't get to the doozy part I'd been itching to get to in this chapter. But at least I did get to set up a lot more for it to happen in chapter 4! (Hopefully!) Shoutout to my fellow GueiMeis Thots from the server! Feel free to hit me up in dms or mention me @dreamtiel on twitter if you're interested in joining!

Gueira had never been outside the state of Florida before.  ** **   
** **

He was surprised to find Meis had never traveled so far on his own either, what with how he seemed to know exactly where he was driving them. Within the week, the flat, green plains of Florida rolled into more hills and less humid, sticky air. Not that Gueira could quite feel the overbearing heat, even as he wore Meis’ jacket while they drove under the unrelenting sun. In fact, it felt as though he hadn’t even broken a sweat on their travels. Must’ve been a Burnish thing.  ** **   
** **

Escaping the Freeze Force had been surprisingly easy for them. Had they not left when they did, they surely would’ve been blocked off along the road. Maybe it was because the Freeze Force in their jurisdiction faced fewer cases of Burnish awakenings that the officers were less equipped to handle them, Gueira thought. ** **   
** **

He was thankful for that. It was bad enough that he dragged Meis with him out of state in a hurry. Or rather, it  _ was  _ Meis who dragged him out of state. ** **   
** **

The taller male was quiet the day they left. Though, then again, it wasn’t very practical to talk while on a motorcycle. But even that night, when they found a motel to stay at (whose employees thankfully didn’t notice Gueira suspiciously trying to hide his face in his helmet), things were quiet between the two. ** **   
** **

“... Meis,” Gueira started from the foot of his bed. “Are you uh, gonna… be okay?” ** **   
** **

“I should be asking you that,” he answered simply, not quite looking at him. “You’re the Burnish here.” ** **   
** **

“Right, but still… You just got dragged into all this. You left your family ‘cause of m—“ ** **   
** **

“Get one thing straight, Gueira,” Meis interrupted. “It’s not all because of you. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now.” ** **   
** **

“... Really?” ** **   
** **

“Believe me…” He kicked his feet up on his own bed with a tired sigh. “They don’t accept who I am any more than people will accept you as a Burnish. And that’s no way to live.”   


“What’re you talking about?” ** **   
** **

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand. Point is, this is killing two birds with one stone for me…” He turned over on his side, facing away. “I’m gonna get some shut-eye. Night.” ** **   
** **

“... Thanks, Meis.” ** **   
** **

“...” ** **   
** **

“I think I’d be a goner if you didn’t come for me. I swear, I’m gonna pay everything back to you one day.” ** **   
** **

“...” ** **   
** **

\-- ** **   
** **

The days that followed consisted of travel, travel, and more travel. All on a diet of gas station meals and whatever the two could stuff in their bags. Breaking every few hours to eat and rest became routine for them. But as expected, money quickly became an issue, becoming rapidly depleted with every motel they stayed at. Eventually, as their food and money supply ran low, Gueira had to suggest shoplifting food from gas stations, to which Meis wholeheartedly and instantly agreed. ** **   
** **

The first time they did it was chaotic enough. The plan, thought up by Meis, was simple: one of them distract the cashier and the other stuff their bags full of goods. That was all fine and dandy, with Gueira acting as if he’d forgotten his wallet and raising the ire of the cashier while Meis entered the store and ducked between aisles to stuff his backpack full. It was a remote gas station with no one else in the store besides the middle-aged cashier. If they failed here they at least would’ve had time to make a clean getaway.  ** **   
** **

“Kid,” the cashier cleared his throat impatiently, “you got your wallet or not?”  ** **   
** **

Gueira tensed up, hoping Meis had gotten enough goods and stayed clear out of sight. Yet he realized something was wrong the split second he caught the cashier taking a quick side glance at the security monitor.  ** **   
** **

He continued to pat his pockets in an increasingly unconvincing manner, hoping to draw his attention away. “Uhh, o-one sec, man,” he stuttered, anxiously waiting for the sound of Meis walking out the door.  ** **   
** **

He yelped as the cashier suddenly grabbed him by the wrist, an all-too-familiar sensation that reminded him of bruises left on his arms before. “I know what you’re trying to pull,” he growled. “You think I haven’t had cases like this happen before, huh?” The older man directed his attention to the aisles, shouting. “AND YOU!! DROP THE BAG NOW!!” ** **   
** **

Gueira looked back to find Meis standing up straight from his crouching position, bewildered and holding a cluster of candy bars in hand. “MEIS, RUN!!” ** **   
** **

Though he certainly didn’t intend for it to happen, Gueira’s hand was suddenly engulfed in Burnish flames once more, earning him a startled cry from the cashier as he recoiled from the sudden burning sensation on his hand. In an instant, pink and green flames fell upon the counter and the surrounding racks of chips and other goods, setting them on fire. Letting go of Gueira’s wrist completely, the cashier fell backwards, screaming.  ** **   
** **

“B-BURNISH!!” ** **   
** **

Gueira found himself panicking at the sight of his hand ablaze again, even when he couldn’t feel any pain beyond an intense, almost comforting heat in them. In his panic, more flames gathered at his feet, spreading rapidly with more products catching fire.  ** **   
** **

“Gueira!!” Meis shouted, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and already at the exit. “Let’s go!! Move!!” ** **   
** **

Snapping out of his panic enough to take one last glance at the now-terrified cashier cowering on the floor with a phone in hand (presumably already dialed for emergency services), Gueira felt his legs move on their own, right out the automatic sliding doors. He ran after Meis, who had already mounted his motorcycle, and jumped onto the seat with him. Within moments, they were speeding out of the gas station parking lot, with the convenience store behind them rising in flames and the cashier weakly stumbling out to watch them speed off.  ** **   
** **

“That was way too close!” Meis shouted over the wind.  ** **   
** **

“I-I’m sorry!!” Gueira shouted back, nervously looking back. “I didn’t—“ ** **   
** **

** _BOOM!!_   
**

Just like that, the gas station behind them exploded in flames, and it took everything in Gueira to not look back or get sick while clinging to Meis’ back.  ** **   
** **

“Shit—“ Meis barely muttered.  ** **   
** **

“Oh god, I-I—“ ** **   
** **

Now that they were a safe distance away from the scene, Meis pulled over, both of them looking back at the inferno blazing not too far away. The whole building had erupted in green and pink Burnish flames, with no sign of anyone else in the vicinity from their field of view.  ** **   
** **

Something about the sight warmed Gueira, almost excited him. He couldn’t help but stare at the fire’s vivid colors erupting from the rapidly-burning building. He felt horrified to feel excitement boil inside him. He couldn't tell whether the rapid heartbeat in his chest was from dread or excitement. ** **   
** **

“I… I did that…” ** **   
** **

Meis looked back at him, concerned and unable to think of anything to say. The sound of sirens in the distance a few minutes later caught his attention, and he kicked up his bike’s stand.  ** **   
** **

“Hold on,” he instructed, “we need to leave _ now _ .” ** **   
** **

Even as Gueira obliged, clinging to Meis to avoid getting thrown off as the bike spun around, he couldn’t help but continue to try to look back at what had occurred.  ** **   
** **

— ** **   
** **

“Here, eat up,” Meis said as he offered Gueira a cup of noodles still boiling in microwaved water.  ** **   
** **

The redhead had been lying in his bed in the next motel ever since they got there, not saying or doing much. He sat up, silently taking the cup and slurping the noodles hungrily. “... Thanks,” he managed to say after a while.  ** **   
** **

“... You’re not okay, I know,” Meis said, sitting beside him with his own cup of noodles in hand. “... You didn’t mean to do it.” ** **   
** **

Gueira continued eating for a moment before speaking. “I might’ve killed another man…” he mulled. Every passing moment, he felt himself dipping in between reality and what felt like a dream. Every moment he felt himself snapping back to the reality of it all. “And it wasn’t just him. My dad, all those people back home… People keep getting hurt because of me.” ** **   
** **

“It’s not like you wanted to do it,” Meis pointed out. Though even in the assured tone he spoke in, Gueira could tell he was at a loss for words. “You didn’t want that to happen.” ** **   
** **

“No, that’s what’s bugging me though.” ** **   
** **

“What do you mean?” ** **   
** **

Gueira looked up, finally, locking eyes with Meis. “It’s like I  _ want  _ to watch everything burn.” ** **   
** **

It was evidently difficult for Meis to look at him with anything but intense concern. “Like…” ** **   
** **

“Like there’s this… voice, inside me. I didn’t  _ wanna  _ burn everything like that, but it was like… like…” He made a motion with his hand like it was about to spawn a flame again. “... Like I wanted to see  _ something  _ burn.” ** **   
** **

“... Maybe that’s how Burnish are.” ** **   
** **

“What?” ** **   
** **

“Maybe they just want things to burn like that. People say they’re like actual fires. And fires can’t keep going without something to burn.” ** **   
** **

Gueira looked down at his cup of noodles at a loss for words.  _ Can’t keep going without something to burn…  _ Everything about that was heavy on his mind. “... Meis?” he said after a while. ** **   
** **

“Yeah?” ** **   
** **

“What… What else did you get from the store?” ** **   
** **

He was thankful that Meis picked up on the cue. He went over to the other bed in the room and picked up his backpack to open it up. “A lotta junk. Candy bars, chips… Here, take a look.” ** **   
** **

He gently tossed the bag next to Gueira, who put his cup down to rummage through. The bag was absolutely stuffed with not just junk food from their raid, but some of Meis’ clothes and other essentials. Gueira ignored them for the most part, but upon pulling out a bag of potato chips, he noticed a couple books buried amongst the junk.  ** **   
** **

“You bought books with you?” he asked, pulling them out. “No wonder your bag’s so heavy.” ** **   
** **

“It’s manga, if you must know,” Meis huffed. “If our phones die while we’re on the road, I gotta have  _ something  _ to take my mind off this shit when we’re resting.” ** **   
** **

“Hey man, I get it.” Gueira smiled, flipping through the book he pulled out. “I used to read stuff like this all the time when I was a kid!” ** **   
** **

“Wow,” Meis said dryly, “to think Gueira read books…” ** **   
** **

“Shut up. I happen to like books with pictures better, leave me alone.” Despite what he said, Gueira smiled a little wider. He scanned the pages of the book, drinking in the action scenes and detailed fight scenes.  ** **   
** **

“Having fun there—“ ** **   
** **

“Oh duuuude, I think I remember this series!” he grinned. He found himself rereading familiar scenes of two heroes with swords, fighting off monsters from the depths of Hell. One hero wielded a sword with the power of lightning, the other a sword with the power of wind. It was a classic, predictable tale, but even as Gueira came to terms with the story’s simplicity, he felt drawn into the story’s world. And for a brief amount of time, he was distracted from the troubles on his mind. ** **   
** **

Meis’ lip curled into a smile as he laid back on his bed with a granola bar in hand and turned on the television. “You have fun with that,” he said, flipping through the channels. For a while, the two sat about, eating and occasionally discussing the manga Gueira was reading (Meis seemed more interested in the main characters, Gueira noted). For a while, for the first time in a few days, they felt a little more relaxed. ** **   
** **

It wasn’t until they saw the breaking news report on the television that they were reminded of reality once again. ** **   
** **

Both of them snapped to attention as a blonde reporter on-screen chimed in. “This just in, reports of a Burnish attack in Dallas, Texas have been flooding in.” Meis sat up in his bed as Gueira closed his book to listen in. “Police say the recent string of terrorist attacks may be attributed to a growing branch of the Mad Burnish. While it is unknown how large this branch is, there have been multiple eyewitness reports of at least five arson terrorists. The general public is advised to be cautious in the following days as the Freeze Force investigates the attacks and potential suspects.” ** **   
** **

“Feels like there’ve been more and more Burnish people cropping up the last few months…” Meis muttered, looking down, deep in thought. ** **   
** **

“...” Gueira looked over to him. “Yeah… It’s been a while since something this big has come up, though.” He paused to look at Meis’ thoughtful expression. “What’re you thinking, Meis…?” ** **   
** **

With eyes trained on the television screen, Meis grunted. It was obvious to Gueira, what he was thinking. “Let’s go to Dallas.” ** **   
** **

— ** **   
** **

It was a crazy idea, Gueira thought. But he had no real room to complain or argue as Meis cruised down the highway for the next couple days. To meet other Burnish, other potentially dangerous— no, definitely  _ far  _ more dangerous— people was a gamble in of itself. But the logic made sense to him. These could be people who learned to live with their newfound powers. These could be people who could lead him to salvation.  ** **   
** **

He hoped that in the small, minute chance they turned out to be friendly, they’d take a liking to Meis too.  ** **   
** **

But of course, there wasn’t really a plan to meeting the supposed Burnish from the news. Rather, it was times like these that Gueira really wished Meis would speak to him, to let him in on the plan.  ** **   
** **

“Hey,” he shouted over the wind. “So, you gonna tell me what exactly we’re gonna do when we get to Dallas, or…?!” ** **   
** **

“Find Burnish,” Meis answered, “see how they can help you.” ** **   
** **

“And then?!” ** **   
** **

“... I don’t always have answers, you know!” ** **   
** **

Gueira blinked. “Meis, this is gonna be crazy bad if it doesn’t work out!!” ** **   
** **

“Do you have a better idea?!” ** **   
** **

“...” ** **   
** **

“I’m asking seriously.” They passed a sign signifying the Texan border, with big bright letters saying “Welcome to Texas.” “If you have a better idea… you better say it soon.” ** **   
** **

— ** **   
** **

If only, in their excitement, they had paced themselves better. Usually, Meis was good at finding a place to stop and rest for the night as the sky got dark. But he was evidently way too excited about getting to Dallas, and at one point they were stuck on a long stretch of road with no exit in sight nor any real light besides the headlights of Meis’ bike. (Gueira found it ironic that he was the one who kept pestering Meis to just take an exit already hours before, given their typical dynamic.) ** **   
** **

“So what’re we gonna do now?” Gueira asked, maybe with a little too much sass in his voice. 

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see Meis’ pointed glare at him. “I wouldn’t be against trying to drive in the dark like this, but I’m fucking tired as it is.” He muttered, facing away, “Especially without your sass…” ** **   
** **

“So what, we’re just gonna sleep all the way out here?”

Meis had already taken a blanket they pilfered from the last motel out of his bag and prepared to lay it out on the dirt just a couple yards away from the road. “Yes. Do me a favor and shine a light. Don’t wanna spread this out on any bugs. Or snakes.”

Without even thinking, Gueira held out a hand, a flame already dancing on his palm.  ** **   
** **

It provided significantly less light than he expected, but it was enough for him to see the way Meis looked at him incredulously. “I meant with your phone.” ** **   
** **

Gueira blinked, only then registering what he was doing. “My, uh, phone’s dead, though,” he said. It wasn’t a lie. His phone really was dead, after all.  ** **   
** **

“... That works, then.” With a pinkish light illuminating the area, Meis found a cleared area to lay the blanket over. “... Guess that’s good.” He sat down, scooting over closer to one of the blanket’s edges so Gueira could sit down too. ** **   
** **

Even as he did so, Gueira kept the flame in his hand, carefully so as not to let its embers fall onto the blanket. He stared at it in awe, not quite wanting to let it dissipate just yet. He never did get a chance to look at the flames he created up close. It burned differently in his hand than a regular flame on a candle would. It almost looked two-dimensional, like something out-of-this-world. And they never did burn in the same colors each and every time. This one was red and pink. ** **   
** **

Though he didn’t feel too different from before he became Burnish, Gueira decided he felt like something completely different now. ** **   
** **

He blinked as he felt Meis’ leg bump into his. He looked over to find Meis a lot closer now, staring at the flame in Gueira’s hands as well, with a weary expression half-hidden by the hair covering his face. Without saying anything, Gueira offered the flame to him, to which Meis lifted his own hands to feel its warmth with a hum. ** **   
** **

It occurred to Gueira just then that nights in the desert were supposed to be frigid cold. Yet he himself didn't feel worse for wear. Looking at Meis, though... “Are you cold?” Gueira asked. “Oh! Do you want your jacket back?” ** **   
** **

“‘M fine,” Meis simply said, even as Gueira caught a shiver escaping him. “This is warm enough.” ** **   
** **

He didn’t really know how he could remove the jacket without dropping the flame by accident anyway. But it still drew pity, watching him shivering in the desert’s cold night air. “I could try making it bigger,” he offered, not even waiting for a response before expanding the flame with both hands.  ** **   
** **

Meis’ eyes widened slightly. “Careful,” he urged. “Don’t lose control.” ** **   
** **

“I-I won’t.” He couldn’t stop the quiver in his voice though, especially as he grew intimidated by his flame’s growing size. “Ohh man, okay, I did not think this through.” ** **   
** **

“Gueira--” ** **   
** **

“Ahh, how do I--” He flinched with a yelp as the flame continued to grow, threatening to burst out of his grasp. “Ahh, Meis!!” ** **   
** **

“Calm down!” Meis caught his wrists suddenly in a panic. Gueira flinched again, reminded of the way the gas station cashier grabbed his wrist before, and of the way his dad used to do the same. But this time, the fire didn’t grow out of control. Nor was he apparently burning Meis by accident, to his relief. He held his wrists firmly, but gently enough to not startle him further. “It’s all right, just… take a deep breath. Try to let it go out on its own.” ** **   
** **

Gueira drew a shaky breath, the flame shaking as he did so. He could feel its desire to break free and spread to the dry brush surrounding them. He could feel an innate desire to let the fire escape his grasp and let it light everything up in vivid colors. It would not be hard to start a wildfire all the way out here. All that was stopping him from doing so were the two slender hands wrapped around his wrists.

****He looked straight back at Meis’ coal-black eyes bearing into his own, and he could feel that desire both grow and dissipate at the same time. The desire to be free fought against his desire to not accidentally burn Meis. ** **   
** **

Gradually, the fire in his palms shrunk until they completely disappeared in embers, disappearing completely when Gueira closed his hands together. Once he did so with a sigh of relief, Meis immediately let go of Gueira’s wrists. 

He looked at the Burnish sympathetically. “Are you okay?” ** **   
** **

“Y… Yeah.” He bought his knees to his chest, hugging them as he felt his heart settle in his chest. “Sorry.” ** **   
** **

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” ** **   
** **

“No, I think I nearly lost it.” He looked at his hand, now shaking lightly. “... Meis, aren’t you… y’know, afraid of me losing it with you around?” ** **   
** **

Meis didn’t speak for a frightening moment. “I like to think you wouldn’t let that happen,” he said.  ** **   
** **

“Losing control, though?” ** **   
** **

“Yeah. You’re stronger than you think, you know.” ** **   
** **

“Not really,” Gueira retorted, maybe a little too quickly. “I mean, back at the gas station…” ** **   
** **

“You snapped yourself out of it back in Miami,” Meis returned. “You saved me back there, remember? But you held it together right after too. Same thing with the gas station. You snapped back when you needed to.” ** **   
** **

Of course, how could he ever forget what happened back there? Though, in all fairness, he barely remembered taking down the Freeze Force officers back home. It had been a big blur to him. But maybe Meis did have a point.  ** **   
** **

Meis continued. “If I’m right about the nature of Burnish, then inevitably you’re gonna end up burning stuff… But I don’t really worry about my own safety in that regard. Because I like to believe you wouldn’t lose control that much. I trust you." ** **   
** **

“... Thanks.” ** **   
** **

He looked at Gueira directly, still close to him. “Hm?” ** **   
** **

“That… really reassures me. Just knowing you trust me that much.” ** **   
** **

“I think I should be saying the same to you.” ** **   
** **

“Why?” ** **   
** **

“You’re putting an awful lot of trust in someone who’s just blindly dragging you to Dallas.” ** **   
** **

“Because you always know what you’re doing! It’s like you got everything planned out. I really can’t think everything through like you do.” ** **   
** **

“... Heh.” Meis’ lip curled into a smile as he laid down on the blanket next to Gueira. “Fake it till you make it, I guess.” He looked up at the night sky, stars unobstructed, before closing his eyes. “Enough sappy talk. Let’s try to get some shut-eye.”

Meis' eyes opened again with a mildly surprised grunt as he felt something cover part of his torso. He sat up a little to find his jacket draped over him and Gueira carefully lying down next to him with a curvy smile. 

Gueira himself felt warmer than usual on the inside even after removing the jacket. Though he tried not to mind the rock-hard ground beneath them as he watched the boy next to him gladly pull the jacket over him. “Night, Meis.”****  
****

\--  ** **   
** **

Upon smelling the now-all-too-familiar scent of something burning in the morning, Gueira’s eyes shot open. He catapulted into sitting up, looking around frantically. Faintly, he remembered dipping in and out of a dream of a flaming landscape in rainbow colors.  _ Did I burn something in my sleep?! _ ** **   
** **

“Morning, sleeping beauty,” Meis said, leaning against his motorcycle with a lit cigarette in hand. “Sleep well? ‘Cause I sure felt like I slept on a dirt floor.” ** **   
** **

“Meis--!! Ow.” Gueira got up, immediately feeling the effects of sleeping on the ground. “Fuck, man, I smelled smoke and thought I was burning everything!!” ** **   
** **

“Sorry,” the taller male said, though Gueira couldn’t tell if he really was apologetic or not. “Want a cig? I think we ought to leave soon.” ** **   
** **

“I’m fine,” he said, stretching his limbs (with an uncomfortable crack) before wrapping up the blanket and packing it away. “How far do you think we are from Dallas?”   


Meis handed him his helmet as he hopped on the seat behind him. “I don’t think we should be that far, actually. The sooner we get moving, the better.” ** **   
** **

“Then let’s get going already!!” Gueira urged, feeling his legs shake against the bike. Meis nodded, a smile barely visible behind his helmet as he once again kicked the stand of his bike up so they can speed down the road. ** **   
** **

It didn’t even take an hour for them to see a sign signifying Dallas was a mere 100 miles away. As they began to see more cars on the road, the sight of a large city soon began to come into view... ** **   
** **

— ** **   
** **

The bustling metropolis of Dallas was bigger than either boy had expected. Tall buildings towered over them, streets still surprisingly condensed with traffic despite the supposed Burnish attacks just a couple days prior. Maybe it happened in a different part of the city. Gueira felt jittery sitting in the seat behind Meis. Every time they had to stop at a light, he felt his leg bouncing against the motorcycle. Every few minutes he’d feel a surge of energy through him. Excitement? Anxiety? He couldn’t tell. It was hard to ignore.  ** **   
** **

It was evidently hard for Meis to ignore it too.  ** **   
** **

“Do you need a bathroom or something?” Meis snapped, having had enough of Gueira’s fidgeting as they slowed to a stop in a less busy side street. “You’re gonna throw me off balance at this rate.” ** **   
** **

“No, sorry, I’m just… nervous, all of a sudden.” ** **   
** **

“... Right. I don’t blame you.” At that point, the light turned green. “Just try not to move too much, okay? You’re not the only one who’s stressed…” ** **   
** **

Right. Of course Meis was probably more tired and anxious than Gueira was. After everything that had happened, Gueira found it surprising he still had any patience for him. Meis was nice like that, he thought. He always was-- ** **   
** **

Gueira felt himself suppress the gasp climbing in his throat. In an instant, he felt a rush of dizziness surge through his head. His whole body felt as though it were burning up. His fingers dug into the fabric of Meis’ shirt in an attempt to restrain himself, even as they threatened to burst into flame again.  ** **   
** **

_ What’s going on…?! _ ** **   
** **

“Gueira?” Meis suddenly sounded far away. “Hey, what’s wrong?!” ** **   
** **

** _RAAAAAA!!_   
**

Gueira’s attention snapped to the left suddenly as he felt something buzz in his ears. He could've sworn he heard something roaring in the distance. Though he couldn’t see past the buildings, it felt as if there was something approaching, something causing a burning sensation in his chest. ** **   
** **

One of the buildings just a half-block down the street suddenly burst in an explosion of glass and flames.  ** **   
** **

Burnish flames.  ** **   
** **

From around the building’s corner, the sound of revving motorcycles filled the air. People were screaming now, some fleeing the sidewalks to hide in the other buildings. Meis thankfully composed himself, having evidently been shaken by the sudden noise, and steered his bike to the shoulder of the mostly-empty road.  ** **   
** **

“They’re here!!” a lady was screaming. “They’re here to burn us all!!” ** **   
** **

“Get inside, before they come!!” another man was yelling.  ** **   
** **

A group of motorcycles, about four or five of them, rounded the corner followed by trails of fire. All the riders were concealed in black motorcycle gear that Gueira realized was akin to armor as they got closer and let out manic laughs and cheers. As they sped down the street, a flying Freeze Force tank rounded the same corner, chasing after the group. The tank shot multiple ice missiles at the group ahead, only for all of them to miss as each motorcycle weaved around each other.  ** **   
** **

Another flying tank rounded the corner soon after the first, though this time it slowed as its cannon seemed to switch targets from the biker gang to Meis’ bike. ** **   
** **

“Meis, MEIS!!” Gueira’s hands squeezed his shirt in panic once he realized the ice cannons were aimed for them. “MEIS, MOVE!!” ** **   
** **

Snapping into focus again, Meis turned his bike and immediately pulled the accelerator, lurching the bike forward and just barely escaping the ice missile. Tiny shards of ice residue flew into Gueira’s back, though he remained unscathed as they now followed the first tank and biker gang ahead.  With every passing moment, Meis’ motorcycle swerved abruptly to the side as more ice missiles landed in the road behind them. ** **   
** **

“Why are they aiming at  _ us?! _ ” Gueira cried. “They shouldn’t know—!!” ** **   
** **

“It’s ‘cause they have your heat signature!” came a man’s voice beside them. All of a sudden, there was a motorcycle at their side, one of the Burnish bikers that had apparently slowed down to their level. “That’s Freeze Force tech for you. Yuriika!!” Another motorcycle had suddenly appeared at their side, with its driver nodding in affirmation. "Help these two out!!" ** **   
** **

“O-Okay, follow me!!” came a higher-pitched voice. Without giving even a chance to respond, the new biker suddenly turned their motorcycle into another street, with Meis following along with the flying tank behind them.  ** **   
** **

The missiles behind them, Gueira noticed, had become replaced with rapid-fire bullets that struck the ground in tiny eruptions of ice. Even with Meis weaving from side to side, he could tell the taller male was losing his nerve in the moment, with every sudden swerve feeling like it was going to make the bike skid out of control.  ** **   
** **

“H-Hang tight and keep going ahead, okay?!” The biker next to them, Yuriika, veered into a hard stop, turning their bike around with an audible squeal and leaving burning skid marks along the pavement before driving straight for the flying tank.  ** **   
** **

“What’re they doing?!” Meis shouted, panic clear in his voice.  ** **   
** **

“Just keep going!!” Gueira shouted back, even as he looked back to see Burnish flames form along the road, with Yuriika jumping off them like a ramp as they conjured a dragon-like spire of flame at the tank.  ** **   
** **

Meis’ bike suddenly turned into another street before Gueira could see what had happened following a deafening explosion behind them. The other Burnish bikers followed along, riding on either side of Meis. The first Burnish they had spoken to, distinguished with an orange visor on his armor’s helmet and a bird-like plume on his helmet, caught up to them following a similar explosion some ways back.  ** **   
** **

“Nice driving, newbie!” he shouted to Meis, giving a thumbs up.  ** **   
** **

Yuriika caught up following that. “Leonix, i-it’s all taken care of! I did it!” ** **   
** **

“You did!! Wonderful job!” Leonix, apparently, directed his attention back to Gueira and Meis. “All right, now follow us before reinforcements come!” ** **   
** **

“Thanks for saving our tails!” Gueira shouted, eyes sparkling. “So you’re…?!” ** **   
** **

“Yup!!” He revved his motorcycle, earning whoops and cheers from his fellow bikers as his ride spewed fire from its exhaust. As they neared the city exit, he threw a fist in the air. “MAD BURNISH!!” ** **   
** **

“BURNIN’ BURNISH!!” the rest of them cheered in return. ** **   
** **

“LET’S MOVE OUT!! We got newbies to attend to!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow-up shoutout to pastelairel for allowing me to use a couple of their OC's! Particularly Yuriika, namely! Those OC's will have a slightly larger role in the next chapter, which is already about 70% written. Let's hope it can release a little sooner!


	4. The Spark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOO this is the longest chapter I've written to date, at 11k words! I mentioned this before, but this chapter was originally part of chapter 3 before I decided to split it. A good decision in my book. There's gonna be a few OC's in this chapter (two of them, Yuriika and Blair, provided by my lovely friend pastelairel (thanks again!!)), but I hope the rest of the chapter makes up for that!
> 
> That being said, I know I kept saying this in the servers, but I think this chapter's gonna be a doozy! >:>c
> 
> Special thanks again to the GueiMei Thot server and my friends there for giving me support for this story!!

It took a good portion of the drive out of the city for the excitement to drain from Gueira’s system. Along the way, he was surprised to find the Burnish bikers around them suddenly void of their armor after a bout of zoning out. They were no longer imposing figures clad in black armor, but regular-looking people in what he could only describe as classic biker gear, including leather jackets and black face masks for some of them ** **  
** **

“So, newbies,” the lead driver, the tan young man with bright orange hair and dyed pink tips, rode alongside Meis down the straight path into what struck them as a barren wasteland, “tell us about yourselves, why don’t ya?” ** **  
** **

“I’m Gueira!” the redhead answered eagerly. “And this guy’s Meis! We were hoping to meet the Burnish around here!” ** **  
** **

“Name’s Leonix,” he greeted back. “Not that I’m not happy to hear we have fans, but, uh, why exactly?” ** **  
** **

“Was hoping you’d be able to take in Gueira,” Meis cut in. “Stuff… happened back home, so we can’t go back.” ** **  
** **

“Ahh, nowhere else to go, huh…” Leonix focused his gaze straight ahead. “Wait, so am I supposed to assume you’re not Burnish, Meis?” ** **  
** **

“No, I’m not. I just wanted to get outta my shithole home too.” ** **  
** **

Leonix gave a snide laugh. “Yeah, I’m sure!” ** **  
** **

“What’s that supposed to mean?” ** **  
** **

“Don’t worry about it!” He pointed ahead of them, at a small, ruined building in the distance. “We’ll talk more when we get there!” ** **  
** **

\-- ** **  
** **

From a distance, Gueira expected their destination to be small. In reality, it was even smaller than he had expected. The place looked like it was once a proper house built far from other towns and cities, but the roof had evidently caved in at some point. Planks of wood and other debris decorated the property. There didn’t seem to be any sign of other people around. ** **  
** **

“What is this place?” Gueira asked, getting off the motorcycle as soon as he could to stretch.  ** **  
** **

“Temporary home,” Leonix simply answered.  ** **  
** **

“Temporary?” Meis echoed. ** **  
** **

“We Burnish are always on the run, y’know. There’s no safe place in this world for us. Least, nothing permanent as far as we know. But this'll have to do for the time being.” ** **  
** **

He, along with the other bikers, led the pair inside. The inside of the house was void of furniture and in the same state of disrepair as the outside, but there were blankets sprawled about along with perishable foods scattered on the floor. ** **  
** **

“So there’s only five of you living here…?” Meis asked, eyeing the sad state of their temporary living space. “How often do you have to move?” ** **  
** **

Leonix shrugged, sitting down against a faded wall. “It varies. Sometimes the Freeze Force in the area’ll sniff us out in a matter of days. If we’re lucky, we can stay here a few weeks tops.” He popped open a bag of chips.  ** **  
** **

“This is hardly a sustainable living space,” Meis quietly said to Gueira, who shrugged with indifference. “What if you were to find other Burnish…?” ** **  
** **

“We… haven’t burned that bridge yet,” Leonix said. ** **  
** **

“Don’t you mean ‘cross that bridge?’” ** **  
** **

“Sure, whatever.” He waved a hand at Meis. “See, the five of us knew each other already when we decided to start this Mad Burnish group. We’re pretty unofficial as it is, but we hadn’t thought of what exactly we’d do if we found a whole buncha other Burnish. Like, just one or two guys or gals or others? We can make it work.” ** **  
** **

“So you’re fine with taking me and Meis in?” Gueira asked, slinging an arm around Meis’ shoulder. ** **  
** **

“Well, we can’t just kick you out now!” He laughed. “You’re part of the family now! Also… ah, side note, if you had any food on you, we sure could use a restock.” ** **  
** **

“Some meds would be great too…” Yuriika spoke up, twiddling their fingers (at which point Gueira and Meis realized the shorter Burnish looked younger than them).  ** **  
** **

Right. Well, if they were this quick to accept them into the group, Gueira figured they may as well have asked for food. Fair trade. Thankfully, Meis was already on that.  ** **  
** **

“Here,” he said, taking off his backpack and opening it up. “It’s the least we can do as thanks. Sorry, we didn’t pack a lot of meds though…” ** **  
** **

“Thanks a bunch!” Leonix eagerly took the bag with a grin, rummaging through with the same excitement as a kid on their birthday. “Oh hell yeah, they got the good stuff— you got cupnoodles and chocolate too?! All right!!” He held up the aforementioned goods triumphantly. “We’re gonna feast tonight!! Let’s bust out the bonfire wood!” ** **  
** **

The other Burnish let out a chorus of cheers. “Bonfire?” Gueira asked. Already, two of the other Burnush, one with long blonde hair in a braid and one with stringy, almost dark green hair, were taking large chunks of firewood from a back room.  ** **  
** **

“Tell me, Gueira,” Leonix started, eating some of his chips, “How long have you been Burnish?” ** **  
** **

“About a week.” ** **  
** **

“So you don’t know everything about who you are just yet, I’m guessing…” He rubbed his chin almost exaggeratedly. “Guess I’ll have to educate you starting today!” (Gueira suppressed the urge to groan at the thought of being mentored as if he were in school again). “Have you burned anything big lately? Or gotten the urge to?” ** **  
** **

Gueira exchanged a nervous glance with Meis. But then he was reminded of just who they were with. “I might’ve accidentally… blown up a gas station.” ** **  
** **

“Whoo-hoo!!” The Burnish with a long braid whooped. “Was it a big explosion?!” ** **  
** **

“It was definitely something,” Meis interjected (sounding awkward, Gueira noticed). ** **  
** **

“And didn’t it feel great?!” Leonix asked, the same excitement from before back in his eyes.  ** **  
** **

Gueira looked down, almost forlorn. “It  _ was  _ great, but it… didn’t feel right...” he mumbled.  ** **  
** **

To his surprise, Leonix slung an arm around his shoulder, nudging him feverishly. “It’s the natural way, though!” he said, almost too encouragingly. “My friend, we Burnish have to burn to survive. We’re a fire that can’t go out.” ** **  
** **

“Just like Meis said…” Gueira mumbled, to which Meis nodded.  ** **  
** **

“So my theory was right?” he cut in.  ** **  
** **

“If it helps your ego, then sure!” Leonix laughed. “Gueira, I’m sure you’ve felt something bubble in you… something that makes you excited, something warm and hot that wants to explode and spread everywhere?!” ** **  
** **

“Uh— I guess—“ ** **  
** **

“That, my friend!! That is the flame you’ve become. That’s the part of you that’s Burnish. It’s a way of life, OUR way of life. To spread the flame... To watch it grow stronger… Do you understand?” ** **  
** **

For all his years of struggling through school, struggling to understand even the simplest concepts, even after bouts of studying, Gueira found it all too easy to understand. The excitement that boiled within him back then began to make a lot more sense now. “I… I think I do.” ** **  
** **

The other Burnish were piling wood into a pile outside the house. Leonix guided both Gueira and Meis outside, where he held out his hand to the sky. With a snap of his fingers, a purplish flame sprang to life in the palm of his hand. “We are the flame,” he began. “It’s our nature to burn. That’s what I learned on my own journey. You’d best learn to accept it now.” ** **  
** **

He gestured for Gueira to hold his hand too. Without even meaning to, a flame sprang to life in his palm too. “Wow… I actually understand it, I think,” he chuckled. But just as quickly as a smile graced his lips, it faded. “... But… I dunno if you guys want someone like me on your side…” ** **  
** **

“What do you mean?” ** **  
** **

“... My dad died when I went Burnish,” he explained, eyes drifting to the side. It came out easier than he had expected it to. “And at that gas station, I…” ** **  
** **

Leonix’s expression turned serious as Meis glared at Gueira with an incredulous look on his face. “... Lemme guess, it was an accident, right?” ** **  
** **

“Y-Yeah, honestly!!”  ** **  
** **

“Well, believe me when I say you’re not alone. We all got weights on our shoulders.” Leonix pointed to the stringy-haired Burnish playing with embers absentmindedly in his hands. “That guy over there torched an entire subway when he became Burnish.” He pointed to the one with the braid. “They set an entire neighborhood on fire when they turned. We all burned others on the way to survive the way we do. But it’s necessary. I like to think of it like how people slaughter cows for their meat even though they don’t need to eat meat. Except our burning is necessary.” ** **  
** **

Gueira looked up at him with unease. “So you’ve all hurt people too…How did  _ you  _ turn Burnish?” ** **  
** **

“... I don’t know,” Leonix answered with a sincere shrug. “For all that we’ve figured out, no one really knows what sets us off. One moment I was having a pleasant chat with my boyfriend, the next I was suddenly spewing fire and blacking out…” He looked down, almost lost in thought. Gueira noticed a sad look in his eye. “... I hope he’s okay… He had a huge fear of fire. Isn’t that ironic?” He blinked and looked back at Gueira. “Sorry, are… you okay, kid?” ** **  
** **

“... My old man’s dead ‘cause of me…” Gueira reiterated. “Sorry, I guess… I’m still kinda processing it myself. It’s the last thing my ma would've wanted.” He had tried hard not to think too much about his father for the entire trip. Even now, for the sake of appearance, he kept whatever scraps of good memories he still had buried. ** **  
** **

“… You’re not alone,” one of the younger Burnish, a young man in a wheelchair (where did he get that, Gueira wondered…?) rolled up to him with limited movements, at which point Leonix politely stepped back, gesturing for Meis to step back too. “... I think we... had the same problem. Sorry to bring it up.” ** **  
** **

“Hey, uh, it’s all right,” Gueira said, looking down at the flame in his hand. He understood enough. “... You don’t need to say anything else. I get what you mean.”  ** **  
** **

“... Enough sad talk, though!” Leonix suddenly said, snapping him and Gueira out of their funks. It jolted Gueira to see the mood shift so suddenly. “We’re Mad Burnish, not Sad Burnish!! Let’s get this bonfire started!!” ** **  
** **

“Wait,” Meis suddenly interrupted. “Are you sure this is safe?” ** **  
** **

“For us it is,” the braided Burnish said, “but you might wanna stand back, normie!”  ** **  
** **

“Normie—?” Meis looked at him almost in offense. “No, I mean, wouldn’t someone see from here?” ** **  
** **

“It’ll be fine! We’re way out in the middle of nowhere! Now!” Leonix clapped his hands together and turned to Gueira with a grin. “Wanna start us off, Gueira?!” ** **  
** **

“Uh— How?” ** **  
** **

“Just throw a fireball in!! Go crazy!” ** **  
** **

The redhead swallowed and nodded. “Okay… here goes!” He held the fireball in his hand with both hands, instinctively holding it like a football. Except footballs felt awkward and funnily-shaped in his hands. The flame, meanwhile, fit into his hands naturally as he wound back and threw the fire into the stack of wood like he was throwing a pass in tryouts. 

In a brilliant burst of green and orange, the firewood pile ignited with flames instantly climbing into the sky in smokeless glory. The other Burnish whooped and cheered in turn, tossing in their own flames, some even tossing multiple fireballs. In seconds, the pile of wood turned into a beacon of colors weaving into the sky. ** **  
** **

“That all you got?!” Leonix shouted almost tauntingly. “C’mon, newbie, show us all the fire you wanna release!! Don’t hold back!! Show us the Gueira you are now!!” ** **  
** **

After a touch of hesitation, Gueira suddenly found himself grinning widely as more flames danced at his fingertips. With a short laugh, he launched more blasts of fire at the quickly-disintegrating pile of wood. His eyes fixated on the colorful columns of fire spiraling and drifting into the sky.  ** **  
** **

“It looks awesome!!” the braided Burnish shouted. “Gueira, your flame colors are like nothing I’ve ever seen!!” ** **  
** **

“Green flames, huh…” another mused. 

“Nice one!! Keep at it!!” Leonix encouraged with a laugh.  ** **  
** **

For the first time in a week, Gueira found himself laughing freely, almost madly. For a while, he lost himself in a newfound sense of freedom. Of identity. Of self-realization.  ** **  
** **

Maybe he really did belong here. ** **  
** **

“Meis, isn’t this cool?!” he cackled. “I don’t have to hold back!! I— Meis?” He looked to where he saw Meis standing last, only to see him heading back to the entrance of the house.  ** **  
** **

“...” With the rest of the Burnish focused on the bonfire and contributing to its burning, Gueira found it appropriate to excuse himself and head back inside, only to find Meis rummaging through his backpack still slumped against the wall.  ** **  
** **

“Hey,” Gueira said, catching Meis’ attention. “Dontcha wanna join?” ** **  
** **

Meis chuckled snidely as he pulled out a water bottle and cup of noodles. “Don’t tell me you forgot I’m not Burnish,” he said as he sat down. “It’s all right, go on ahead. I’m just a little tired.” ** **  
** **

Gueira sat next to him. “Aw, come on man,” he said. “They’re like, our new family! You should still join in!” ** **  
** **

“And how do you suppose I do that?” He raised an eyebrow at him. ** **  
** **

“I dunno, you could like... use your lighter…?” He smiled sheepishly as Meis chuckled, amused. “Or come on, you should join anyway! It’s a lot more fun when you’re around.” ** **  
** **

“I’m not all too great with crowds, to be honest,” Meis admitted, pouring water into his cup of noodles. “Even if it is just five other people. Besides… maybe they’re your new family, but I’m not sure if they’re too fond of me.” ** **  
** **

“What do you mean?” ** **  
** **

“You didn’t happen to notice some of them looking at me funny on the way here?”  ** **  
** **

“I… I didn’t notice?” ** **  
** **

“Some of them kept giving me this funny look while we were driving. Like I don’t belong here.” He shrugged, stirring the noodles with the accompanying plastic fork. “I mean, they’re right, by all accounts. If I had to guess, they’re skeptical of me not being Burnish. Humanity has persecuted Burnish for decades. It’s only natural they’d be suspicious of me hanging out with you.” ** **  
** **

“I can vouch for you, then!” Gueira exclaimed. “It’ll be okay then, right?” ** **  
** **

“...” Meis stared intently at his food. “... I don’t wanna risk your chances of blowing it with these guys,” he said. “ I mean, you’re already having a good time with the leader.” ** **  
** **

“... I’ll talk to them,” Gueira insisted. He glanced at Meis’ cup of barely-soggy noodles. “Hey, isn’t that cold?” ** **  
** **

“It’s… yeah, it sucks, actually.” ** **  
** **

“Here.” Gueira held out his hand, summoning a flame instantly and holding it out, only for Meis to warily inch away. “Hey, don’t be scared!! Here, just—“ His other hand caught Meis’ wrist and pulled his cup of noodles closer before taking it altogether.  ** **  
** **

“Gueira, it’s okay—“ Meis tried to say. “Careful, you might—“ ** **  
** **

_ Fwoosh.  _ The cup was suddenly engulfed in flames, earning a panicked yelp from Gueira. “AH!! Shit, sorry!!” ** **  
** **

To his surprise and relief, Meis laughed. It was rare for Gueira to hear him let loose with laughter. “Ahaha! That’s okay, the look on your face makes up for it.” He dragged his backpack closer. “Cupnoodles are overrated anyway.” ** **  
** **

“Sorry, sorry!” Gueira closed his hand over the flame instinctively (guess that was one way to get it to go away), successfully snuffing it out and letting the ashes fall to the floorboards. “Whoa, that worked… I’m still not great with the whole Burnish thing yet… But I’ll make up for it!” ** **  
** **

“Stop worrying about it,” Meis continued laughing as he took out a cigarette from its box. “Here, if you wanna make up for it, why don’t you light this?” ** **  
** **

Gueira perked up. “I can do that!! Give it here!” As Meis held out the stick, Gueira focused on summoning a small flame, just a little one. To his delight, he managed to summon a tiny flame at the edge of his fingertip after a few moments of concentration. Carefully and while sticking his tongue out, he gently touched it to the tip of Meis’ cigarette, successfully lighting it. “Hah!! Got it!” ** **  
** **

“Thank you,” Meis grinned in satisfaction. His other hand rummaged through the bag as he placed the now-lit cigarette in his mouth. He tossed Gueira a chocolate bar and inhaled a drag, smoke billowing out of the corner of his mouth afterwards. “Now, why don’t you take the food to them? Then get back out there and keep partying.” ** **  
** **

“All right, thanks man. You’ll be okay?” ** **  
** **

“Of course. Think I just wanna rest for a bit. You go on ahead, though. Have some fun with the others.” He made a “shoo” gesture. “Go on, get.” ** **  
** **

“Hah, all right, all right.” Taking a bite out of the chocolate bar, Gueira stood and left the house again. The Burnish were still laughing and talking amongst themselves.  ** **  
** **

“Ah, welcome back, newbie!” Leonix greeted. “How’s it hanging?” ** **  
** **

“Everything’s good,” Gueira nodded as he took a seat around the bonfire. He sighed contentedly, feeling the warmth on the inside. “Feels good…” ** **  
** **

“Doesn’t it? That’s how it should be...” Leonix hummed as he took the backpack that Gueira offered and pulled out some snacks. “How’s your normie friend?” ** **  
** **

“Meis? He’s okay. Just tired, though.” ** **  
** **

“I bet all the travel you must’ve been doing would do that to you.” He leaned forward. “Though let’s get the elephant in the room outta the way… Your friend ain’t Burnish, but you’re certain he’s not lookin’ to turn us in?” ** **  
** **

“Of course not! It was Meis’ idea to come all the way out here, actually.” He grinned as he helped pass around the bag of snacks. “I’d pretty much be dead if it weren’t for him.” ** **  
** **

“So he’s the brains in the relationship, huh…” ** **  
** **

“Yeah! Probably the smartest friend I’ve got!...” His smile faded. “Or… I guess now he’s pretty much the  _ only  _ friend I’ve got…” He hadn’t even gotten any messages from his friends the day he and Meis escaped from their city. It had taken a few days before any of them had questioned Gueira’s disappearance, and even then they had only been concerned about his apparent status as a Burnish.

It was easy to block them out after that. ** **  
** **

“Nah, that ain’t true,” the braided Burnish spoke up with a warm smile. “You got us now!” ** **  
** **

“Yeah, so long as your friend doesn’t turn traitor…” the stringy-haired Burnish mused. ** **  
** **

Leonix rolled his eyes at that. “Don’t listen to him. But I hope you don’t mind us keeping an eye on your friend, though,” he said. “I mean,  _ I  _ personally think he’s cool, but the rest of us have had reason to be skeptical.” He patted the redhead’s shoulder upon seeing the look of unease on his face. “Don’t worry about it though! ‘Sides, tonight will be about you, all right?”

“What do you mean?” ** **  
** **

“Well, you don’t know a whole lot about being Burnish, do you?” ** **  
** **

“Besides the ‘burn everything’ part?” ** **  
** **

“Yeah, beyond that…” He stood up. “Didja happen to notice our bikes are all gone?” ** **  
** **

Oh. It hadn’t occurred to Gueira until then. He looked over to where Meis had parked his bike and found no other vehicles around. “Uh… maybe.”   


“See, kiddo, fire isn’t just used to destroy…” The other Burnish rose as Leonix closed his eyes. With a snap of his fingers, he suddenly became engulfed in Burnish flames. It took a split-second for Gueira to remind himself not to panic upon seeing his whole body catch fire. When they cleared, he was once again clad in black armor with an orange visor and bird-like plume on his head. “Burnish are special. We have the power to create too.” ** **  
** **

“W… We can do that?” Gueira asked. He remembered seeing clips of older Mad Burnish members before in historical documentaries, but he had never really considered what they could do. It didn’t strike him as important before now. ** **  
** **

The still-burning bonfire blew towards Leonix’s direction, at which point it seemed to take form on its own, before turning into his motorcycle before Gueira’s very eyes. With a joyous shout, Leonix mounted the bike, bouncing the front wheel off the ground before it fully formed, breaking free of stray flames. “Hell yeah we can!! You can too, with a little practice!” ** **  
** **

Gueira slowly nodded, taking in the sight. Something so intricate and sleek could be made from fire? And  _ he  _ could do something like that? He looked down at his hands, already trailing fire in his growing excitement. “How do I…?”  ** **  
** **

“Focus a little,” the Burnish in the wheelchair from before said. “You gotta envision what you wanna look like. Then it’ll… just happen.” ** **  
** **

“Get creative! You’ll do great!” the braided Burnish chimed in. ** **  
** **

“Okay…” Envision what he wanted to look like. He closed his eyes. What did the others look like in their armor? He tried to remember. They looked cool. Long limbs, a lot more height than an average person, sleek armor-like plates… But he wanted to be stronger than that. Could he do that? Was he allowed to let himself look stronger? He always wanted to be big, and tough, and strong. It was every boy’s dream, right? Big muscles, big stature, that was what it meant to be a man, right? Like… Like the heroes in that manga Meis bought with them. ** **  
** **

He felt the flames in his hands trail up his arms, just as the fire at his feet spiraled up his legs. As they climbed up his body, the color in them faded, turning from vivid pinks and reds to black, yet the warmth only intensified. It felt good. It felt natural. And was he getting taller? He couldn’t even see the looks on the other Burnishes’ faces as they watched him, with the black flames rising to his face and shielding his vision. ** **  
** **

And in front of him, he envisioned his own dream ride. Motorcycles were cool, but he didn’t really think of them as his style. Four-wheelers. ATV’s.  _ Those  _ were cool. He wanted a big one, one that could ride anywhere. Excitement coursed through his veins as the flames in front of him, stemming from him, formed a coherent shape. Already he could make out a wide body with a seat, four wheels, two handlebars... ** **  
** **

He eagerly grabbed onto the two handlebars and tried to jump on, only for the flames to immediately disperse underneath him. With a cry of pain, he realized the black armor around him had also scattered into embers, leaving him landing on the desert ground with no more flames around him. “Argh!! W-What happened?!” ** **  
** **

“Hah! A little eager, aren’t we?” Leonix laughed, though it was good-natured enough that Gueira easily shook it off. ** **  
** **

“That was a good first try, Gueira!” Yuriika called from the other side of the bonfire. ** **  
** **

“They’re right,” Leonix said, having also broken out of his armor, with his motorcycle having already dissipated too. “It takes a little getting used to sometimes. But you’re already able to form a basic shape!”   


“A huge one too!” the braided Burnish added in helpfully. “That takes an even stronger flame to accomplish!” ** **  
** **

“What did I do wrong, though?” Gueira pouted, already trying to summon the flames back. ** **  
** **

“You’re not really doing anything wrong, I think,” Leonix hummed. “Might be tired. Might not be energized enough. Don’t worry about it though. Sometimes you just need that special spark to trigger your flame’s potential.” ** **  
** **

“It’s so sick, though!! I wanna learn how to summon my own ride, too!” He pumped his fists. “Then I wouldn’t have to ride on Meis’ back all the time!” ** **  
** **

“Heh, you make it look like it’s nice to ride on that guy’s back, though…” Leonix mused, to which the other Burnish joined in with lighthearted laughter. 

“What?”  ** **  
** **

“Nothing!~ But hey, cheer up. Your flame’s still getting used to showing itself. It’ll work with you when you need it to.” ** **  
** **

Gueira pouted again. “All right…” ** **  
** **

“Though… if you’re really adamant about learning to make it, I think I just thought of a way to get you properly inducted in our little Mad Burnish group.” ** **  
** **

He perked up, his hair bouncing as he did so. “What’s that?”

Leonix hummed. “Let’s do this a little later in the night. For now, let’s eat up. Rest if we need to.” ** **  
** **

\--

A good portion of the night consisted of chatter amongst the slowly dying bonfire. In the span of a couple hours, Gueira found himself learning a little more about each of the Burnish members.  ** **  
** **

“You learn a surprisingly amount of things about yourself once you become Burnish,” Leonix was saying at one point. Gueira learned that Leonix had a librarian for a boyfriend and not much in terms of a life direction before becoming Burnish.  ** **  
** **

“Like what?” he asked. ** **  
** **

Leonix shrugged. “Who you always wanted to be. I think this whole time I just wanted to be free as a bird, y’know? Though, I wish my guy was with me… Sometimes I just feel lost without him.” He suddenly remembered Gueira was there and coughed nervously. “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to get all heavy on you. Uh, hey, could you do me a favor and check on Yuriika and Blair for me?” ** **  
** **

“Yeah, sure, man.” Gueira nodded. “Any reason why them in particular?” ** **  
** **

“Medical reasons.” ** **  
** **

That was all Gueira really needed to understand. He nodded again and made his way around the bonfire.

He learned earlier that night that Yuriika really was even younger than him and Meis, but was more of a computer science nerd. They had a few interests that were a little odd to Gueira, but in a good, kind of cute way. Last he talked to them, they even had time to show him a few surprisingly good creepy edits of photos on their phone (Gueira also envied the fact they had any charge at all on their phone). ** **  
** **

“Huh? Oh, yes, I’m fine,” Yuriika said when Gueira asked them how they were feeling. “I-If there’s anybody who needs checking up on, it’d be Blair, though…” ** **  
** **

“I’ll go check on him next, don’t worry,” Gueira grinned, giving Yuriika a thumbs up as he left (earning him a little wave from Yuriika in the process). ** **  
** **

He passed by two of the other Burnish on his way around the bonfire. Andrei, the braided Burnish, was a tattoo artist who had an abusive ex that caused them to turn. And Ravio, the quiet man with stringy hair, was a street performer (a violinist, specifically) who had his own history of bad relationships. They both seemed to be a little older than everyone else, even Leonix. ** **  
** **

“Hey Gueira!” Andrei waved as he passed by. “Welcome again to the team!” ** **  
** **

“And sorry if what I said was offensive…” Ravio mumbled, sipping from a soda can. ** **  
** **

“It’s all good!” Gueira waved it off. “And thanks again!” ** **  
** **

He met Blair a little farther away from the group. Blair, the wheelchair Burnish, was a college student, a law major (which only served to color Gueira even more impressed). His wheelchair, Gueira found out earlier, was made of Burnish flames, and he needed it for when his multiple sclerosis flared up. ** **  
** **

“I’m doing okay,” Blair softly said when Gueira asked him. It took him a while to recognize Blair’s accent as Scottish. “Um… sorry if I spoke outta line a while ago.”  ** **  
** **

“Nah, it’s all good,” Gueira smiled. “So… your dad also died when you turned?” He regretted asking the moment the question left his mouth, especially when Blair visibly flinched. ** **  
** **

Thankfully, if Blair was offended, he did a good job of not showing it. “Yeah... it was fast in the moment, but I think he was gonna kill me... and I was just so scared that I…” He trailed off, obviously uncomfortable. ** **  
** **

“... Mine too. So you’re not alone too,” Gueira said reassuringly. It was a little odd to him, comforting someone a few years older than him when his own trauma had been more recent. Yet telling Blair this seemed to put both of them at a little more ease. He felt bad for bringing up the old wound anyway. "S-Sorry, I shouldn't have said--" ** **  
** **

“No, no, uh, I-it's okay. Um... you won’t be alone either,” Blair returned. “I'm sure you'll find some comfort here. It's all a lot at first, but... it'll come to you.” ** **  
** **

“I think I will.” ** **  
** **

Gueira learned more about the group that night than he had ever learned about his old friends back home. And yet it still felt natural, like he’d been there with the other Burnish forever.

He wished Meis was still awake and there to get to know them too.

When the bonfire had completely gone out and some of the other Burnish had already begun napping outside, Gueira found Meis in the same place he had been before inside the house, only now lying down on the wooden floor and curled up. He was asleep, Gueira discovered upon closer inspection, with hair falling over his face.

He was shivering. Right. Gueira didn’t even notice how cold it was until he thought about it, like how he didn’t think of breathing until he saw Meis’ chest rise and fall with each breath. At least Meis was wearing his jacket again. It wasn’t like Gueira needed it.

Quietly, he sat back against the wall next to him, not quite feeling tired yet. Instead, he opted to summon a small flame in his hands for practice, cupping it close to him to keep its light from waking Meis.

To his surprise and amusement, Meis seemed to stir just enough to subconsciously inch closer to the flame’s warmth and to him.

Smiling, Gueira kept his flame closer to Meis, hoping the flame’s warmth would reach him. He stayed sitting upright, leaning back against the wall of the house, with flame in hand as he felt himself drift to sleep…

\--

Gueira awoke later in the night to Leonix gently nudging him. As he snapped awake, he realized the flame in his hand had gone out (probably for the better, he wouldn’t have wanted to burn the place by accident). The Burnish leader was crouched to his level, shushing him for even the quietest sound. ** **  
** **

“Ready for your first Burnish mission?” he whispered. ** **  
** **

A smile spread on Gueira’s face. “Hell yeah,” he whispered back.

“Nice. Quiet on your way out. Don’t wanna wake your friend.” He stood and left the house, trying to keep his footsteps quiet on the hardwood floor.

Gueira stood and yawned, stretching a little (sleeping on a hardwood floor was no better than sleeping on a blanket in the middle of the desert, he decided) and looking down at Meis. He was still asleep, using one of his arms as a pillow. Gueira hadn’t really paid attention to it before, but by then he realized that Meis looked a lot more peaceful sleeping like that than in any of the motels they stayed at in the past weeks. Before he was stiff and not even using the blankets on the motel beds. Maybe it was because he felt way safer out here? Or maybe he was just that exhausted from all the traveling they’d done. Whatever the case, he must’ve been relaxed enough to be snoring lightly past the stringy hairs covering his face.  ** **  
** **

It was almost… cu-- ** **  
** **

“Psst!!” Leonix peeked his head through the front door and gestured for Gueira to come out already. He didn’t realize a few minutes had passed. “Let’s go…!”

\-- ** **  
** **

“You’re sure this is safe?” Gueira asked. He felt out of place in the group of Burnish bikers, especially as he clung to the spikes on Leonix’s armor. His bike was definitely bigger than Meis’, and a lot warmer (definitely like a seat warmer if Gueira didn’t know better). At least there was no hair whipping in his face, yet there was still unease in Gueira’s stomach as they left behind the house with his friend still inside. ** **  
** **

He didn’t know if Meis was still asleep or if he heard the commotion as Gueira and the other Burnish rode off in a seemingly random direction into the wasteland. Then again, Gueira thought, it would’ve been pretty hard to sleep through the sound of multiple motorcycle engines revving loudly along with the bright lights left by the scorch marks. But he did wish he could’ve come along.

“No such thing as ‘safe’ in the Burnish life,” Leonix said, voice slightly muffled by his helmet. “Sorry we couldn’t take your friend, by the way. We can’t really tell if our bikes are too hot for humans to handle, y’know? And this kinda mission is dangerous for normies.”  ** **  
** **

“Oh, yeah, I totally get it.” ** **  
** **

“Yeah, I don’t wanna be responsible for any ass burnage here.”   


“Right… Where are we going, by the way?” As he asked, the five bikes pulled onto an empty paved road, clearly part of the highway but with no other cars around. ** **  
** **

“We’re gonna have some  _ fun _ .” Leonix let out a loud whoop as he accelerated his bike, leading the pack by a huge margin and leaving a bright trail of orange-purple flames behind. The rest of the Burnish followed suit, similarly lighting up the highway and even catching some of the vegetation on the side of the road with fire. ** **  
** **

It felt unreal for Guiera, seeing them all releasing their flames with little care. Yet seeing everything catch fire in such a way tugged at him on the inside. Maybe it was the part of him that used to be human, the part of him that worried about being caught and punished. ** **  
** **

But Leonix was right with what he said before. This felt so…  _ right. _ ** **  
** **

He didn’t think he’d ever felt this alive in his life before. ** **  
** **

He was snapped out of his thoughts as he realized they were heading right back towards the city of Dallas, close to an exit ramp.  ** **  
** **

“Wait, we’re going back?!” ** **  
** **

“The people here wouldn’t expect another attack of ours so soon,” Leonix explained, tone turning serious. As they got closer to the city entrance, the flames of their bikes died down, and their armor began to disintegrate until they were nothing more than smoky embers. “We tend to space out our burning raids like that.”   


“Still, isn’t it risky?!” ** **  
** **

“Maybe. But we needed to stock up on meds anyway. Everyone space out!” On cue, some of the bikes slowed down until they were much further behind Leonix and Gueira’s bikes. “This is so we don’t arouse any suspicion. We’ll be headed for a pharmacy. We can raid it for more meds.” ** **  
** **

Gueira didn’t have much to say about the plan.  _ This is gonna be like the gas station all over again… _

It was noticeably late, though. Though there was some traffic on the way to this supposed pharmacy (which made Gueira anxious; what if they grew suspicious?), it was clearly too late at night for some stores to be open, being well after midnight, if Gueira had to guess. As they came upon a clearly marked pharmacy, it was clear it too was closed, with lights turned off and a “closed” sign hanging on the front door. ** **  
** **

Nevertheless, Leonix parked off to the side of the street, and waited for the other Burnish to assemble. “All right, game plan time…” Once the other four bikes arrived, he turned to address them. “Andrei, Ravs, got your bags?” The two raised their own duffel bags. “Nice. Yuriika, Blair, lookout. Stay off to the side and be prepared to signal us.” ** **  
** **

“What kinda signal this time?” Blair asked. ** **  
** **

“Rev your bikes if you see any officials coming in hot.” ** **  
** **

“G-Got it, Boss.” Yuriika nodded before they steered their bikes into one of the alleys to hide. ** **  
** **

“And Gueira…” Leonix gestured for him to get off the bike before hopping off himself, at which point it disintegrated the same way his armor did a while ago. “We’re gonna have the fun part.” ** **  
** **

“That is?” ** **  
** **

“Once we break in, the alarm’s gonna sound. Shovel as many painkillers and immunosuppressants into their bags,” he jerked a thumb at Andrei and Ravio, “as you can. Then we’ll be blowing this pop stand.” ** **  
** **

Gueira nodded. “Got it.” ** **  
** **

“Good. Ready?” He turned to face the other Burnish, who either nodded or gave thumbs up in response. Afterwards, he led Gueira, Andrei, and Ravio to the entrance doors. “Wanna toss a fireball at this thing, newbie? It’ll make good practice.” ** **  
** **

“Hell yeah!!” Breaking into a grin, Gueira pressed his hands together, forming a large fireball at his fingertips and taking a few steps back to wind up. With an almost angry cry, he launched it into the pharmacy doors, shattering the glass and blowing the doors off its hinges. ** **  
** **

Immediately, an alarm began to ring, a loud bell that distinctly reminded Gueira of the bells back at school. ** **  
** **

“Move, move, move!!” Leonix commanded. Andrei and Ravio pushed past and ran into the store, with Leonix shoving Gueira ahead so they can scoop up boxes of meds and pile them into the bags. ** **  
** **

It didn’t even register to Gueira at first that the fireball he launched into the door had spread on the tile floor, soon setting other products on fire. He was about to call it to Leonix’s attention before he heard the Burnish leader laughing aloud along with the other two as they haphazardly set fire to every aisle they were done pilfering.  ** **  
** **

“Burn it all down when you’re done!! Let the people know we mean business!!” ** **  
** **

“Right, Boss!!” Andrei shouted back. ** **  
** **

As Gueira filled the duffel bags with more meds, he found himself letting a few other flames loose in the process. They flickered excitedly, burning up other products and eating away at the shelves and floor tiles. The air felt oddly dense all around them. If he didn’t know any better, he’d mistake the pharmacy for a pristinely-white Hell. It was uncomfortably familiar, feeling the flames lick at his feet, as if he was going to get burned if he got too close. But he had mostly forgotten the sensation of being burned, ever since that first night when he turned Burnish. ** **  
** **

The unmistakable sound of a motorcycle revving outside caught the quartet’s attention. ** **  
** **

“Everyone out!” Leonix ordered, pointing for the door. While Andrei and Ravio bolted out with bags slung over their shoulders, Gueira joined Leonix in launching one last fireball at the counter. With an unrestrained laugh, the two leapt through the growing fires and out the door to find Yuriika and Blair right outside, ready to pick them up and already in their armor. ** **  
** **

“Hurry!!” Blair was saying as Andrei and Ravio boarded his bike. “Boss! Things aren't looking good, they're already closing in” ** **  
** **

“There!!” Yuriika pointed in the distance as Leonix and Gueira hopped on the back of Yuriika’s bike. In the distance were two flying tanks, approaching quickly.

“Shit…” Leonix muttered. “That was fast. Must’ve been expecting us.” ( _ I thought you said they wouldn’t expect another attack! _ Gueira thought). “Let’s get outta here! Mad Burnish, move out!!” ** **  
** **

Turning the bikes around, Yuriika and Blair immediately throttled their bikes back the way they came. The roads were barren and empty for the most part, leaving very few obstacles for the Burnish bikers to make a beeline straight for the city limit.  ** **  
** **

“WATCH OUT--!!” Andrei suddenly started to say just as a pillar of ice suddenly hit the road in front of them from the side.  ** **  
** **

Gueira heard tires squeal and Yuriika’s bike skidding out of control as they tried to steer the bike out of the way. He felt his left side crash into the side of the ice pillar, sending a scraping pain on his hip as he heard both Leonix and Yuriika cry out in pain. Suddenly he was tumbling through the air, then onto the rough asphalt.  ** **  
** **

He could hear the sound of shouting from the other three Burnish on Blair’s bike, on top of Leonix’s shouts at them to drive off, that they’ll catch up. Shaking off the pain in his hip, Gueira picked himself up. Leonix was yelling something that took a moment for him to understand.   


“Yuriika!! YURIIKA!! Get ahold of yourself, wake up!!” There was panic in his voice now, very unlike the carefree tone from before as the older man tried to shake them awake. He suddenly looked up at something behind Gueira and roughly shoved him away. “GUEIRA, HIDE!!” ** **  
** **

In an explosion of ice shards and mist, both Leonix and Yuriika were suddenly trapped, frozen solid in two blocks of ice. Gueira screamed, finally looking behind to find a third Freeze Force tank hovering and taking aim at him. As another ice missile fired from its cannon, Gueira leapt to the side, landing roughly on the sidewalk and scrambling to get up again just as another ice missile landed right near his feet, splintering into shards.  ** **  
** **

Ducking into the space between buildings, he caught his breath, clutching a hand to his heart and trying to take in the situation.  ** **  
** **

He could distinctly hear the Freeze Force tanks nearby, and at least one of them was now hovering directly above him, no doubt trying to take aim at him between the buildings.  ** **  
** **

He tried to keep quiet, to steady his breath and pretend he wasn’t there any longer. Maybe they’d go away. Maybe if he just hid there they’d give up.  ** **  
** **

Another ice missile landed right outside the alleyway’s entrance, and another landed just a few away from him within the alley itself, coating the surrounding buildings’ walls with ice. He yelped, feeling his hands flaring with Burnish heat as they threatened to burst into flame again. ** **  
** **

He felt a sudden rush of blood in his head as he heard the others’ whoops and cheers approach again, traveling back down the road. Peering past the pillar of ice now trapping him at the front of the alley, Gueira caught sight of Blair, Andrei, and Ravio, all clad in their armor and all of them on their own bikes, now speeding back down the road pursued by barrages of ice missiles from the other two flying tanks. At the very edge of his vision, he witnessed the trio split off into different directions at the nearby intersection, and the tank above him left to pursue one of them. ** **  
** **

He had time now to think on what to do. That is, if he were able to think at all with the pressure of the situation. His breathing quickened as he tried to think of what to do. But this wasn’t at  _ all  _ his strong suit. He wished Meis were here-- ** **  
** **

“GUEIRA!!”  ** **  
** **

Gueira felt his heart skip a beat at the familiar voice. “Meis?!” The sound of Meis’ bike got closer by the second. “MEIS?! MEIS!!” ** **  
** **

“Gueira?!” The black-haired male skidded to a stop on the empty road, just past where Gueira was. 

Setting his fists aflame once more, Gueira tried hurling a fireball at the ice blocking him from exiting. A few hits could only chip away some of the frigid ice, but the spreading flame was enough to capture Meis’ attention.  ** **  
** **

“Gueira!!” He ran over swiftly, with Gueira stopping his onslaught as he approached. “What the hell happened?!” ** **  
** **

“Leonix and Yuriika--” Gueira started, pointing to their frozen bodies on the street.   


“I can see that!! Agh-- forget it, I don’t think this ice’s melting easily! Look, crawl under this space here, hurry!” He pointed at the hole between the ice wall and the building’s wall itself, but stopped and pointed to something else against the wall. “Wait, first, get that pipe there!”  ** **  
** **

Gueira had no time to question it, doing as told and grabbing onto the loose pipe piece before crawling through. “Got it!” ** **  
** **

Meis grunted and helped pull Gueira out as he crawled through. He hissed from pain as Gueira squeezed his hand, his own still lightly aflame. “Shit, careful!” ** **  
** **

“Sorry!! H-How did you find us?!” He followed as Meis gestured for him to follow to where Leonix and Yuriika were still frozen.   


“Hard to miss you guys ditching me back at home,” Meis said, yanking the pipe out of Gueira’s hand. "The trails of fire helped too." ** **  
** **

“You were asleep!!”   


“Figured I’d follow and honestly, a good thing I did.” He pointed to the two ice blocks. “Help me free them! Burn the ice as much as you can!” ** **  
** **

“Right!!” Taking a deep breath, Gueira let a steady stream of Burnish flames fly from his palms, right at Yuriika’s frozen body. Meis meanwhile got to work on trying to break the ice around Leonix’s feet. ** **  
** **

“What the hell were you guys thinking?!” Meis grunted between every blow. “How fucking careless are these people?!” ** **  
** **

“Leonix sounded VERY sure this wouldn’t go wrong!” Gueira argued, keeping an ear tuned to the sound of Burnish bikes and the flying tanks above.

“Yeah, well he’s in an ice block now, so I’m not sure how trustworthy his word is!” He let out an angry yell as he struck the ice again. “ _ Fuck!!  _ How sturdy is this stuff?!” ** **  
** **

The sound of a Freeze Force tank got closer and closer, they both realized. Nearby, one of the tanks was landing.  ** **  
** **

“Gueira, get out of here!” Meis yelled as it landed. “They’re gonna get you too if you stay!”

“I can’t just leave you here!” Gueira shouted, gesturing to Leonix and Yuriika after. “And I can’t leave them here either!”   


Officers were starting to pile out of the tank, with guns in their arms. A few were already running forward and positioning to aim. ** **  
** **

“Gueira, GO!! I’ll be okay!” ** **  
** **

Though there was a part of Gueira that wanted to turn and run deep down, he felt his legs were unable to move anyway. He kept his hands and his flames trained on both Leonix and Yuriika now. He felt the heat within him grow hotter and hotter, to the point where flames were climbing his feet once more in bright reds and greens and oranges, only to turn black as seconds passed. “I can’t!! I’m not leaving!!” ** **  
** **

He remembered what happened in Miami, when Meis was immediately shot at by the soldiers despite not even showing signs of being Burnish. If he hadn’t leapt in when that happened... ** **  
** **

All the soldiers were poised and ready to shoot. The commanding officer raised an arm, signaling for them to prepare… ** **  
** **

“GUEIRA, MOVE!!” Meis stopped attacking the ice at their friends’ feet, locking eyes with Gueira in his desperation.  ** **  
** **

Gueira didn’t think he’d ever seen Meis so scared. ** **  
** **

_ BANG! BANG! BANG! _ ** **  
** **

Gueira felt something close over him as he leapt in the way of the ice bullets being fired from the Freeze Force officers.  ** **  
** **

But it wasn’t cold.  ** **  
** **

He opened his eyes, and after a moment he realized he was seeing everything through a field of green. He blinked. He was… towering over Meis, who was now on the ground and looking at him with wide eyes and a slack jaw. The ice surrounding Leonix and Yuriika was melting. ** **  
** **

“W… What the fuck?!” Meis barely managed to get out as he sat up. “Gueira…?!” ** **  
** **

Gueira turned around, facing the soldiers, who were now out of their ready positions and staring in shock. Looking down, he could see why. ** **  
** **

He was clad in the same black armor as the other bikers. But rather than imitating their sleek, black designs, he was a hulking mass of disproportionate muscle. The sheer weight of his Burnish armor forced him to bend his knees, grounded by clawed feet. He felt a lot of weight on his chest, and especially his arms, which reached down to the ground and scarily encapsulated the pictures of ideal bodies he’d admired for years. ** **  
** **

He closed his fists, with the armor over him imitating the movement somehow. He couldn’t help but grin with excitement. ** **  
** **

“Now…” He was breathing heavily now. Not out of fear, but out of  _ anger _ . “WHO WANTS SOME?!” Thrusting his arms forward, several streams of Burnish flames erupted from the fire around his feet, all of them striking at or around the soldiers’ feet down the road. He cackled madly, launching stream after stream of red hot fire with little restraint.  ** **  
** **

Memories of all those bullies throughout his life, all those people who took advantage of him, flooded his mind. With every infuriating memory, he could feel his flames growing stronger. He remembered those officers back in Miami, how relentless they were back then and how he answered back with just as little restraint. All the people who hurt him, those same people who hurt his friend,  _ were going to pay. _ ** **  
** **

He could’ve sworn he saw some of his flames take the shape of serpents as they scattered officers, sending some flying and knocking others out as they scraped helplessly against the asphalt.  ** **  
** **

“Gueira!!” He turned to find Meis had gotten up, now unafraid and once more wielding the pipe in his hand. “Get these two free, your flames are already working!”

“... Right!” The anger in his heart barely cleared up, but he calmed down enough to follow Meis’ directions. He couldn’t tell if Meis could see past the green visor in front of his face, but he felt he was grinning himself silly in his almost-euphoric state.  ** **  
** **

But just as he laid his hands on the tops of Leonix and Yuriika’s ice blocks to quicken the melting process, he heard the sounds of the two other tanks approaching, both firing down the street intersecting the one they were on. As Blair, Andrei, and Ravio’s bikes sped down the streets once more, the two tanks suddenly stopped, hovering in place with cannons aimed at Gueira and Meis. ** **  
** **

“YOU WANT SOME, HUH?!” Another fireball formed in Gueira’s hands, growing exceptionally large. His heart beat faster in his chest. He could almost feel the blood boiling in his veins as he pictured the rescue Leonix and Yuriika pulled just yesterday. “MAD BURNISH!!” ** **  
** **

“BURNIN’ BURNISH!!” The other three screamed in turn as they all converged onto the same street, all three followed by spiraling trails of multicolored flames, which took the same serpent-like form as before as they followed Gueira’s fireball across the sky into one of the tanks. ** **  
** **

In a brilliant flash of color, one of the flying tanks, still firing missiles at the Burnish, exploded. Debris from the aircraft flew into the nearby buildings, shattering glass everywhere and denting pavement as they landed in the street. The ground Freeze Force officers immediately dove for cover, some shouting at their cohorts to hold their ground. ** **  
** **

Even as the tank continued to fall from the sky, a barrage of ice bullets still fired from its cannon, along with the cannons on the other two aircrafts. ** **  
** **

Gueira had little time to react as Andrei suddenly flew forward without their bike, before they were just as quickly buffeted in bullets and encased in ice. Ravio similarly flew forward, only already encased by the time he reached Gueira’s field of vision. ** **  
** **

“Bastards!!” The rage flooded back into Gueira. He charged another fireball in his hands as he could only hear Blair’s scream from behind followed by a crash. “Your target should be ME!!” ** **  
** **

“Gueira!!” Meis was still behind him, he knew, as there were few other places to hide in the midst of the crossfire. “Careful!” 

“I can take ‘em!!” Yet even as he said so, preparing to launch another attack, all tank cannons and all officers aimed at him. “I’LL TAKE THEM ALL!!” ** **  
** **

He prepared to launch another stream of flames again, only for them to be cut off and frozen in place by the other flying tank’s missiles. His vision went near-white as a flurry of ice bullets and missiles suddenly buried him in stinging, frigid cold. At first, it only felt like the sting of a fire hose pelting him, his heat permeating through and keeping him warm. But in mere seconds, he felt that heat leave him, replaced with numbing cold as he realized he couldn’t move any longer. ** **  
** **

The confidence in him frozen away too, Gueira struggled frantically, feeling the empty space in his armor growing cold. ** **  
** **

“GUEIRA!!”  ** **  
** **

His heart couldn’t have sunk further at hearing Meis call out his name. ** **  
** **

\-- ** **  
** **

Meis was unable to move from his spot on the ground at first, reduced to gawking at the giant frozen mass that had unintentionally shielded him from the rain of bullets mere seconds ago. Shivering from both the surrounding cold and the fear that took ahold of him, he could only feebly crawl back as the officers held their fire, with one shouting orders to the others. ** **  
** **

They were far enough that when Meis managed to pick himself up on wobbly feet and hightail it to his bike, there were only a few bullets fired at him, all missing as he quickly turned his bike away from the scene. ** **  
** **

He wondered at first why they didn’t bother pursuing him. Maybe they had the tech to identify Burnish and actually decided to hold back for once. Maybe he was just too far away for them to care. Or perhaps because they were too preoccupied loading the Mad Burnish into the tank that just landed.  ** **  
** **

Meis looked back at the scene as he sped down the still-empty road. In the distance, he could make out about four or five of the heavily-clad soldiers toppling over the frozen Burnish. A couple had already taken Leonix and Yuriika off the street. The other three were already out of sight. ** **  
** **

And then there was Gueira, still in his armor, being toppled over like the rest of them. ** **  
** **

Meis felt his bike come to a slowing stop seemingly on its own as it turned to face the scene again.

_ What was he doing? _ ** **  
** **

He could’ve sworn he could hear laughter coming from the officers. One kicked over Gueira’s block of ice, another stomping a foot on top of it. They started to pick him up, to whisk him away with the other Burnish. ** **  
** **

“ _ Argh…!! _ ”

A sudden flash of pain rang through Meis’ head. ** **  
** **

_ He couldn’t do anything about it. _

He could feel his heartbeat quicken suddenly (even faster than it had been before). He felt as though it was about to burst out of his chest, now rising in temperature worse than any fever or hot flash he’d experienced back home. He could feel his body crumple over on his bike as he struggled to keep his balance even as he stood in place. ** **  
** **

_ He’ll never be able to do anything significant. _ ** **  
** **

He couldn’t save Gueira. He couldn’t have woken up sooner. He couldn’t have left sooner. If he had gotten there faster, if he could’ve talked them out of doing this-- ** **  
** **

_ He was too pathetic to save him. He was just a normal human. He was nothing. He always had been. _ ** **  
** **

Meis heard a scream escape his mouth as he clutched his chest, where a burning pain had suddenly accumulated.  ** **  
** **

_ He was just going to run away again, selfish as always and… and… _ ** **  
** **

_ No. _ ** **  
** **

He was going to explode. He thought then and there against all better judgement that he was going to burst into flames in his… in his… ** **  
** **

_ Rage. _ ** **  
** **

** _RAAAAAA!!_ ** ** **  
** **

His vision suddenly exploded into a flurry of colors, the same colors as the pharmacy still burning some blocks away. Yellows and purples on tops of oranges and blues. There was nothing but Burnish flames everywhere. He could feel his hair flying back, whipping wildly behind him like a candle flame about to be blown out. He tried to say something, just to hear himself and just to reassure himself that he wasn’t just dreaming in some hellish nightmare or hallucinating vividly. But he could only hear his own scream, accompanied by the roar of flames climbing and spewing out of his throat. ** **  
** **

His hand found the accelerator on his bike and throttled it to the max even in his haze. 

Suddenly he felt as though he was flying down the street on his bike, somehow still steady but now overbearingly hot underneath him. 

It was on fire.  _ HE _ was on fire. 

His vision cleared just enough from the Burnish flames to see where he was going, though now he saw everything in yellow. There was something shielding him from a barrage of bullets, he realized. He felt as though he was wrapped in a solid, protective bubble of hot steel, yet it didn’t hurt for him to be in contact with it. He could no longer feel pain from the fire around him, nor were the ice bullets having any effect on him.

He felt powerful, in control, for once in his life.  ** **  
** **

He had no time to appreciate the newfound warmth around him as he leaned forward and crashed his bike into the solid block of ice containing Gueira, as well as all the Freeze Force officers hauling him back. ** **  
** **

Upon impact and upon landing without harm, Meis felt the hot blue flames within him burst free, shooting out of his armor like a bomb as his precious bike exploded into bits and pieces, adding to his flames that now raged in the middle of the street. ** **  
** **

He found himself in the middle of the inferno, standing over the now-rapidly-melting block of ice encasing his friend. With a brazen cry, Meis slammed a fist into the ice, only then realizing his armor had formed huge blades over where his arms were. Cautiously but hurriedly, he continued beating away at the ice, cracking it until Gueira was free enough to break through on his own, crying out in rage himself. ** **  
** **

“Meis!!” he shouted immediately upon being freed, his tone a mix of awe and disbelief as he looked up at the towering figure standing over him. “You’re…!!” ** **  
** **

“Save it for later!” He gestured to the officers surrounding them, held off only by the growing Burnish inferno shielding the pair. Gueira grabbed ahold of his arm, using it to pull himself up off the ground. Within his armor, Meis clenched his fists, feeling heat pool into his palms and fingers before emerging as a flame in his armor’s hand. “I think I understand how this works already… Take care of the officers, I’ll get the others back!!” ** **  
** **

Though there was little time to fully comprehend the plan, Gueira nodded in his suit, a grin visible through the visor. “Right!! I GOT THIS!!” Once more with confidence, Gueira slammed his armor’s giant hands into the ground, sending the inferno out in all directions and overtaking the Freeze Force officers firing ice bullets ineffectively at the wall of flames. ** **  
** **

Meis, meanwhile, caught sight of the grounded tank from before taking off into the air again half a block down the road. “Gueira!! How do I make a bike?!” ** **  
** **

“Uh--” Gueira paused, looking at him as though lost before the flames around him gathered once more, already forming a cohesive shape. “Wait, I got this!! Concentrate the fire!! Envision it!!” ** **  
** **

Even with his vague instructions, Meis nodded. He could understand now just what being Burnish must’ve felt like for Gueira. He could feel the flames moving around him, as if part of him, moving to his whims. He had a picture in his mind, of a new bike he could use, one bigger and more accommodating to his new form, one that was sleek and more aerodynamic. ** **  
** **

He looked over to find Gueira somehow jumping up and landing on the mass of red flames in front of him, instantly turning into a four-wheeled vehicle underneath him. “It worked!!” he laughed with almost childish glee. “It didn’t break this time!” 

Meis had no time to criticize the ridiculous size of the ATV that Gueira, in his hulking mass of armor, sat on. He leapt up similarly and landed on his own growing mass of blue flames, at which point it took the shape of a motorcycle which already felt much lighter and less clunky than his old ride. ** **  
** **

Revving the engine similarly to his old bike, Meis throttled his bike and rocketed down the street, a cone of hot blue flames shielding him from the barrage of ice bullets being fired from the ground soldiers still surrounding the road.  ** **  
** **

“YOU’RE NOT GETTING HIM THAT EASY!!” Guiera roared, riding close behind him and firing streams of orange flames along the sides of the road. The screams of officers around them elicited an excited cackle from Gueira as the leftover streams landed on the street itself, arching up into the air and staying there. “Meis!! Take this, I’ll handle the other tanks!!” ** **  
** **

Meis understood his intent immediately, managing to jump his bike onto the makeshift ramp Gueira had formed. Keeping his balance, he leapt his bike off at the very edge of the ramp, bike still aflame as kicked off it and stabbed all four of his limbs into the door of the aircraft containing the other Burnish. ** **  
** **

He could hear some kind of warning siren as he yanked one arm out and stabbed it back into the door repeatedly. Subconsciously, he felt his armor gathering more flames on his shoulders, forming what he imagined as two more, smaller arms that pried the newly-made holes opened before inserting into them, spewing more flames out of them and into the storage compartment. In mere moments, the interior of the compartment was completely engulfed in his blue flames, as hot as he could manage to make them with the anger still fueling him. ** **  
** **

He heard Leonix inside gasp as if he was gasping for air after having emerged from underwater. “The hell?! What’s going on?!” ** **  
** **

Meis peered inside one of the holes he made. “Everyone, I’m here!” he announced, before slashing a bigger opening into the door with his bladed arm. ** **  
** **

“Meis?!” He spotted Leonix helping Yuriika out of their icy imprisonment along with Andrei and Ravio, who were helping Blair out in a similar fashion. “Is that you?!”

“It is!” He adjusted his hold on the door before swinging into the loading bay. “We need to get out NOW!!”

As soon as all of them were freed, Andrei took one look out the door’s opening and cringed. “W-We’re in a Freeze Force tank?!” ** **  
** **

“H-How’re we gonna get down?!” Leonix asked fearfully as he helped Blair stand. ** **  
** **

Already, Meis was forming his bike again, prompting the others to start to do the same and form their own bikes and armor. “We’ll make a ramp! Or bridge, whatever you wanna call it!” ** **  
** **

“Is that gonna work?!” Ravio asked, also fearful underneath his armor. ** **  
** **

“It’s the best chance we got!” Meis insisted. “Sorry, but you gotta think fast in these situations! Leonix, you and I are leading!” He almost couldn’t help but appreciate the incredulous look on the leader’s face as his commands registered. ** **  
** **

“A… All right, let’s roll!!” ** **  
** **

With a loud roar of his bike’s engine and squeal of its tires, Meis led the others into flying out the hole in the tank, just as its overheating reached its peak and exploded behind them. From its fiery explosion, Burnish flames formed and trailed under and ahead of the group, forming a bridge underneath for them to ride down to the city street below.  ** **  
** **

Down below, Meis could make out Gueira fighting off the last of the soldiers on the ground, now focusing his attention on the last remaining tank, still hovering close by. He could hear the redhead’s battle cries far ahead of him as a raised wall of flames blocked off an incoming barrage of ice bullets before breaking apart. ** **  
** **

“WHOO-HOO!!” Leonix cheered. “Gueira did it!! He already got his armor and ride!!” ** **  
** **

“We're gonna help him out!!” Meis commanded, pointing the bridge’s formation towards the tank. 

“W-Wait--” Leonix said. “What’re we doing?!” ** **  
** **

“We’re gonna ram it!!” ** **  
** **

“Then call us in, Meis!” Andrei urged as colorful flames weaved and spired around them, creating an almost sort of tunnel as the descent of their bridge steepened and aimed for the tank. The very front of the bridge formed the shape of a serpent’s head just like before, mouth open and ready to strike. ** **  
** **

Meis’ grip on his handlebars tightened as he leaned forward, picking up more speed as he drove ahead of the others. “MAD BURNISH!!”  ** **  
** **

“BURNIN’ BURNISH!!” ** **  
** **

The roar of flames around them only got louder as they collided with the tank, a deafening explosion ensuing that threw Meis off his bike and left him sailing through the air before landing roughly on the ground, tumbling a long while before he felt everything black out around him. ** **  
** **

\-- ** **  
** **

“...eis…!... Meis!!” 

He could feel the dull sensation something shaking his body. He wasn’t armored anymore. Opening his eyes, Meis could only see Gueira above him in a blur. He was shouting his name, asking if he was okay. Gueira wasn’t in his armor anymore either, Meis realized. His face was all dirty. ** **  
** **

Through the fuzzy vision, he could make out smoke rising everywhere. His head lulled to the side to find Ravio picking Andrei off the ground. There was building debris and broken glass everywhere, as well as broken parts from the Freeze Force tanks they had somehow managed to take down. Just a little further away was Leonix picking Blair up onto his back and saying something to the others. ** **  
** **

“Meis!!” Gueira was sounding far away again. At least he was okay. Meis realized with an odd sense of disappointment that he was incredibly tired, all the angry energy from before completely drained. ** **  
** **

Things turned black again. ** **  
** **

\-- ** **  
** **

The next time Meis opened his eyes, he realized he was sitting up. Well, sort of. He was leaning forward, the side of his face pressed up against… someone’s back. The desert countryside was rolling past him, a total blur. Oh, he was on the move. Or no, rather, they were all on the move. ** **  
** **

Andrei was riding alongside him, spotting him awake and flashing him a grin and thumbs up. ** **  
** **

He was dizzy now. He groaned lightly and buried his face in Gueira’s back, wrapping his arms tighter around his waist-- ** **  
** **

Oh. ** **  
** **

Oh, Gueira was driving. They were on the ATV he was riding before. That was nice of him, Meis thought sleepily as he held him tightly… ** **  
** **

\-- ** **  
** **

He was feeling significantly better when he woke up again, greeted by the sight of a broken roof over his head, a dawning sky coming into view. He blinked owlishly and groaned again. ** **  
** **

“You’re awake!” The sound of Gueira’s voice, followed by his face suddenly popping into view, made Meis jolt a little.

“Gueira…!” Meis sat up, a mistake he realized as his body suddenly informed him of all the aches and bruises he’d sustained. He hissed in pain and lied back down. “Agh… where…?” ** **  
** **

“We’re back home, don’t worry,” Gueira said. His face was lightly bandaged on the cheek and forehead, and his shirt was lifted up and tied back to reveal some bandages covering his stomach. “How’re you feeling?” ** **  
** **

“Shitty.”  ** **  
** **

“Kinda thought so. And I thought I was the reckless one!” He grinned.  ** **  
** **

Meis resisted the urge to pout (he was above that even if Gueira wasn’t) and looked around. “The others…?” ** **  
** **

“They’re fine,” Gueira said. “They’re patching each other up outside.” He knelt down to Meis. “Man, you should see Leonix right now. He can’t shut up about how awesome you were back there!! I think you really made a good impression with him and the others!” ** **  
** **

A small smile graced Meis’ lip. “So I earned his approval…” he mused. ** **  
** **

“Hell yeah!” His eyes were sparkling in a way that reminded Meis of all the times football was involved in their conversations back home. “But for the record, they  _ did _ like you before!” ** **  
** **

He was still him, despite everything that happened earlier. ** **  
** **

Looking at him now, Meis couldn’t quite liken him to the classmate he met many months prior. He could hardly believe the towering brute in steel-black armor, obliterating heavily-armed Freeze Force soldiers, was Gueira. Gueira, the same sorry football star wannabe who he had to save in the locker room, had single-handedly annihilated a whole group of Freeze Force soldiers just an hour or few ago. Yet here he was, still getting overly excited like a puppy. ** **  
** **

“You were so fucking awesome back there!!” Gueira was saying. “You were thinking so fast… And _driving _so fast! I dunno how you do it!!” ** **  
** **

“I had to, to save your recklass ass,” Meis half-chided, earning him a glaring pout. “But you… you were pretty sick yourself.” ** **  
** **

“... Ahh, look…” Gueira rubbed the back of his head, calming down a little. He changed his stance so he was squatting at Meis’ side. “Sorry we… y’know, left you behind. It wasn’t anything personal, I swear!” ** **  
** **

“I trust that.” ** **  
** **

“We didn’t wanna end up burning your ass on the bike!” Gueira said, maybe a little too quickly. ** **  
** **

Meis burst into laughter (something that immediately sent pain flaring through his sore stomach area). “I’m sorry?!” ** **  
** **

Gueira evidently couldn’t resist breaking into a grin upon realizing what he said. “I’m just saying--! I know you were like, self-conscious about not being accepted…” ** **  
** **

The black-haired male scoffed, looking away. “That ain't true. It’s no big deal to me…” ** **  
** **

“I think I can tell when things are a big deal,” Gueira argued. Meis looked at him again, locking with his gaze. “But I think the others would’ve wanted me to tell you that you’re definitely part of the family now. I mean, especially now that you’re Burnish.” ** **  
** **

Oh. That’s right. Memories of turning Burnish flooded back into his mind. From the fire shooting out of his face to barreling down the street on his bike (which he suddenly felt empty about, knowing it was destroyed and now in pieces back in Dallas)…  ** **  
** **

Without even thinking, Meis opened his fist, creating a small, blue flame in his palm the same way Gueira had been practicing yesterday. “I am, that’s right…” He sighed, suddenly feeling weary again. ** **  
** **

“... Hey.” Gueira opened his own hand, creating a similar, red flame and holding it next to Meis’. “It’s all right. It’s gonna be all right. We got each other still, and we got the others now.” ** **  
** **

“... That kinda makes it better.” His smile turned sad, yet hopeful. Maybe they weren’t considered human anymore, but that’s right, at least they had each other. ** **  
** **

That thought was abruptly interrupted by Gueira clasping his hand over his own and wrapping his other arm around his back and under his shoulder to pull him up. The flames disappeared, but Meis still felt an intense, almost comforting warmth where Gueira held his hand.  ** **  
** **

“W-What’re you--” ** **  
** **

“Here,” Gueira grunted. “Lemme help you up.” ** **  
** **

Now that he was sitting upright, Meis could feel his body adjust to the aches he sustained earlier, presumably when they dealt the final blow on that tank. He groaned, signaling for Gueira to stop. Gueira stayed next to him, one arm still hooked around his body in an odd almost-hug and the other still holding onto his hand, as he looked at him with genuine concern. ** **  
** **

“... Thanks,” Meis managed to say after a while. He felt his energy return to him the more he focused his attention on the heat between their hands. He turned to face Gueira, to find his face just a few inches away from him. “... Gueira.” ** **  
** **

“Huh?” He blinked in a way that made Meis think he somehow suddenly zoned out. ** **  
** **

“... I know this is out of nowhere, but… I really appreciate you. And everything you’ve done for me. A lot.” ** **  
** **

He couldn’t quite tell given how the sun was only now starting to rise and bathe the place in a warm light, but he could’ve sworn he saw Gueira’s face turn a little red at that. “That  _ is _ outta nowhere, but… shouldn’t I be saying that to you?” he retorted after a few quick seconds of stuttering. “I mean, after all that quick thinking, all the times  _ you  _ took care of  _ me… _ ! I really appreciate you too, Meis!” ** **  
** **

Meis smiled softly, feeling something in his chest flutter. The warmth in their hands was growing. It felt nice. He wondered if Gueira wanted to feel it grow too, especially as his face seemed to drift closer upon saying his name. ** **  
** **

“If I had to be completely honest, without being too sappy, I…” Meis trailed off, trying to find words that weren’t too sappy. “I was afraid, tonight.” ** **  
** **

“...” ** **  
** **

“About… losing you, I guess.”  _ No, there was no “I guess” about it. Seeing Gueira get frozen solid for his sake…  _

“I was too,” Gueira suddenly said. “But, uh, about you.” He averted his eyes. “I’m sorry, Meis. I… didn’t mean to scare you like that. You’ve saved my ass so many times already. I didn’t wanna let you down, so I… guess I was a real idiot back there. I didn’t wanna lose you too, y’know?” ** **  
** **

“You were an idiot,” Meis agreed with an almost joking nod, the image of his frozen body still stuck in his mind. “But you pulled through, still. I knew you would.” He paused, observing the look on Gueira’s face. “You’re the strongest man I know, honestly.” ** **  
** **

There was definitely no mistaking the endearingly bashful blush on Gueira’s face now. Something about it amused Meis. “N-Nah, you’re just saying that.” ** **  
** **

Meis chuckled. He couldn’t quite think straight enough to consider his next words. “You saved me too, today. I think you've saved me in more ways than you think.” He gave another pause, only to speak again without thinking his words through. “I wish you could just see how wonderful you are.”   


Gueira was close enough now that Meis could hear him swallow thickly, now  _ really  _ at a loss for words. “I… Meis…” ** **  
** **

His words died out as the space between their faces slowly closed.

** **

The warmth held between their clasped hands was nothing compared to the heat Meis felt surge through him, from his cheeks down to his chest and through his limbs. He was subtly aware of the softness of Gueira’s bangs against his forehead, and the stiffness in his back as he sat nearly completely still. He could feel Gueira’s hand squeezing his own now with trembling fingers, tightly enough that he could feel his quickening heartbeat. But as seconds passed, Gueira’s grip on his hand relaxed, still quivering and firm but… gentle. His other hand was still wrapped around his body, almost pulling him closer.  ** **  
** **

His lips were surprisingly soft, with an oddly smoky taste to them. ** **  
** **

Just as quickly as they met, however, they parted, with Gueira pulling away and looking back at him with wide, frazzled eyes. ** **  
** **

“I…” The red in his face didn’t fade. Meis tried to think of words to say, his face no doubt similarly red. But before he could do so, he caught Gueira’s eyes quickly shifting to their hands and back. He suddenly heaved Meis up and helped him to his feet. “I-I think it’s time to take you outside!" he quickly said. "I bet the other are super worried about you!!” ** **  
** **

“...” Meis took a moment to readjust on his feet and their wobbliness. He didn’t feel as tired or sore now. He brushed a hair behind his ear when Gueira finally took his hands away, taking the warmth with them. “Y-Yeah...” ** **  
** **

Gueira said nothing after that, briskly walking ahead slightly further ahead. There was an odd skip in his step, which the taller Burnish found endearing as he felt a half-smile spread on his lips before fading.  ** **  
** **

Meis followed his suddenly eager friend outside to greet a new day, feeling the familiar but now equally chilling warmth in his chest the whole way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:3c well what did I tell you?


	5. Friction Burns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My goal for this chapter was to make rereading the first two chapters a liiiiiittle harder than they already were.
> 
> (Fair warning, there will be abuse and usage of slurs and in this chapter. Please be cautious!)

\-----

It all started that day in the boy’s locker room.

Meis sighed in annoyance as he pushed on the locker room door with his hand, before kicking it the rest of the way open. It was just another day, another argument that left a sour taste in his mouth. He didn’t know why he bothered with his bandmates sometimes. They were the only friends he had, sure, but it was aggravating having to put up with them sometimes. He’d been looking forward to practicing with them that day, but of course plans just had to  _ magically,  _ suddenly come up last minute with no prior warning.

He just wanted to get his guitar from the locker room and go. If they didn’t want to practice, then fine, he’d just have to go find someplace to practice alone. But as he stepped in through the double doors, he heard a group of boys causing a ruckus inside the otherwise empty room. From inside, he could hear loud boys laughing and jeering about something.

“... You can’t even run the field without losing your breath,” one of them was saying. Meis slowly crept around the wall and peered past a corner of lockers. There were three boys cornering another boy, a skinny redhead. 

“That…” he started to say. Meis recognized the cornered kid as a classmate of his. “That’s not gonna matter when I train harder! Or are you that threatened about keeping your own place on the team?”

Meis rolled his eyes. He knew this guy, always the overly-cocky class clown. He wasn’t exactly known for good grades, but everyone knew him for his loud mouth. His name was Gueira. They’d talked before, but only passingly. 

But even so, Meis felt a twinge of pity for him in that moment, watching him press his back up against the row of lockers behind him as the other three boys broke out into laughter at his empty taunt.

“Yeah right!” one of them roared, shoving him back when he tried to step forward to assert himself. Meis cringed as Gueira’s body hit the lockers, causing a loud bang that resonated off the walls. “No way are you ever gonna drag down the team with your weak ass.”

From where he stood, Meis could see the borderline miserable look in Gueira’s eyes as he looked up at the other three students. Meis’ eyes narrowed. He had enough of this. Quietly and discreetly, he took out his phone and hit record on its camera, aiming it at the scene unfolding in front of him.

“I think we ought to teach him a lesson in even trying,” one of the boys suggested.

“Yeah, he’s been a pain all year in my class.”

One of the boys pounded a fist into his hand as the other two closed in. The redhead flinched and curled in on himself. Meis highly doubted the look of fear on his face was fake by any means. Did this happen that often?

“Ahem.” He cleared his throat just loudly enough for the four of them to hear. Immediately, four pairs of eyes fell upon himself.

One of the boys looked him up and down. “Can we help you?” he asked, annoyed.

It took Meis a moment to gather the courage to speak. “I think you ought to leave him alone.” When they looked at him oddly, he gestured to his phone, still recording. “Unless you want suspension. And to lose your spots on the team.” He paused the recording and quickly switched apps to his social media (which he hardly ever used, but it was the quickest he could manage to think up on the spot). He replayed the video for them, watching the bullies’ faces turn from confused to concerned, all while his thumb hovered over the “send” button.

To Meis’ surprise and relief, they only exchanged glances with one another and left, grumbling to themselves. It took a lot out of Meis to resist sighing in relief, knowing how it all could’ve ended had he not been lucky. Maybe he really did have an intimidating reputation amongst the school body. He liked to think so.

After the others had left, he looked down at Gueira, who had slid down into crouching against the lockers. Smiling, Meis extended a hand to him, helping him stand.

“Thanks, man,” Gueira said. He studied Meis’ face for a brief moment as if trying to remember his name. “I, uh, appreciate that. Uh, Meis, right? We have math and English?” Ah, so he did know him.

“And physics.” He let go of his hand once he was up. “And it’s nothing.” He pushed by Gueira and made a beeline for his locker. He just came to get his bag and guitar, after all. No use dragging this conversation on, he thought. 

“That’s all you gotta say about that?” Gueira asked. Odd question, but Meis figured it was an okay attempt at small talk after… something like that. “You’re like, a real quiet kid.”

“Don’t really have much to say,” he sighed. It was true. Nobody ever really cared that much about what he had to say. And he didn’t have much to say anyway. That was the truth. Without looking at Gueira (whose eyes, by contrast, followed him), he opened his locker and took out his bag before taking the guitar case from under the bench.

“Just wanna say thanks again…” Gueira muttered. At least he was grateful. “Oh, that’s yours? You play guitar or something?”   
  
Good lord this guy liked to talk. But… something about him sounded sincere. He didn’t even sound awkward about talking to Meis. Maybe he was a talkative guy, but he did strike Meis as the friendly type. He managed a small smile as he answered him. “I dabble. I’m putting together a visual kei band, if you wanted to know.”

He expected Gueira to simply nod and be on his way. Instead, he cocked his head to the side (what, was this kid a dog or something?) “Visual kei?”

“It’s like, glam rock, I guess,” Meis explained with a shrug. He’d never really had a chance to explain it to anyone before. No one ever really asked before besides his bandmates (who didn’t care as much, he knew. They just wanted to brag about being in a band). “Something rock. Some people say metal.”

“Oh that’s  _ really _ cool!” Gueira grinned, the sincerity of which surprised Meis. “When’s your first show?”

“You’re… interested in that?” he asked with suspicion, only to get a quick but enthusiastic nod in return. He brushed the hair from his face, tucking it behind his ear. “Well, we’re still working on getting a gig together, but…” Was he really going to do this? “... I’m gonna practice a bit on my own before heading home. If you, uh, wanna see what it’s like, I wouldn’t mind if you watched.”

He only wanted to be polite in offering. He fully did not expect Gueira to take him up on his offer. Instead, Gueira looked at him with a bright grin. “Oh hell yeah! Consider it thanks for saving my ass back there!”

Meis felt the smile grow on his face on its own. Well this was new. After standing there awkwardly for a few tense seconds, he gestured for Gueira to follow him out of the locker room. “Let’s… get going then.”

\--

He couldn’t forget the genuine enthusiasm Gueira showed that day as he watched Meis play on his guitar. He was by no means an amateur on the guitar (he was thankful his parents got him lessons), but he still found himself cursing quietly at every missed chord. Gueira didn’t seem to mind though. The entire time, he watched Meis with an interested sparkle in his eyes, only occasionally taking his eyes off to do something on his phone. He even threw in an encouraging comment every now and then on top of listening to Meis ramble on about visual kei bands whenever he took a break. 

Meis loathed to admit it to anyone, but he always had been self-conscious about people looking at him for a long time. (Admittedly, it wasn’t a very good trait to have for someone who wanted to put a band together, but he was working on that!) He didn’t really know why. It was just discomforting to feel people's eyes bear down on him. Gueira keeping his eyes trained on him for a good portion of his after-school solo practice was no exception.

But over time, he started to not mind it as much.

He exchanged phone numbers later that day with him before heading home. He didn’t even really expect to talk much with Gueira, but it would have proven to be useful with how many classes they shared. It didn’t take long for Gueira to send him an occasional meme either (was this a rite of passage for friends)?

Meis went to bed that night feeling… oddly good about himself.

_ … But maybe it’s best to not get too attached…  _

\--

As the months passed and the two started hanging out more, he found himself becoming more comfortable around the redhead. He learned more about Gueira’s life (including the infuriating part about his bastard of a dad) and Gueira learned more about his life (though he tried not to divulge as much). 

Soon they weren’t just hanging out so Gueira could just watch him practice. Sometimes, if he didn’t feel like it, Meis would instead do homework somewhere on campus, with Gueira eagerly accepting his help on homework. Some days they instead opted to hanging around the bleachers near the field, with Meis offering Gueira a cigarette or Gueira practicing his throws to Meis (who was, amazingly, an even worse potential football player than Gueira could ever be).

"You're sure you want to do this?" Gueira asked as he tossed his football in the air one day. Meis had already walked a good distance away (taking his sweet time all the while). If Gueira had the patience to deal with him listing his top five favorite bands, he surely had to repay the favor by indulging his interest in football (even if he didn't quite see the appeal).

"Just throw it," Meis called back. "You gotta practice somehow, right?"

"Well... all right! Here goes!!" 

Long story short, they stopped playing with the football for a while after that. 

As much as his face hurt (what were his bandmates going to say about this?), Meis couldn't help but find it amusing how apologetic Gueira was after as he helped him clean up in the bathroom after his awesome failure at catching the ball.

"Shit, man, I am SO sorry again," he said for probably the thirteenth time as Meis pressed an ice pack to his nose. "Fuck, it doesn't look that bad!! I swear, it doesn't--"

"Calm down," Meis said, surveying the damage. "I really don't think it's broken. Just a bruise." He took the makeup kit out of his backpack. He never really did like taking it out at school, but it was for emergencies and there was hardly a lot of people after school anyway.

Gueira looked at him in awe as he applied some makeup to his face, trying to cover up the bruise (at least so his parents wouldn't question it). "Whoa, you really do use makeup?"

"Is that a problem?" Meis glanced at him to find him staring.

"N-No, of course not!" He shook his head fervently. "I just... I mean, I guess I could expect you to be the type of guy who'd use it, with the visual kei stuff and all..." He continued watching. "You're really good at that. This whole time I thought that was just how you naturally looked."

Meis couldn't resist chuckling at that. "Gee, thanks."

"I'm sorry again--"

"Stop saying sorry. If you wanna make it up to me..."

"I'll bop myself in the face?!"

"What?" He stopped applying makeup and looked at Gueira oddly. "No, that's fucking dumb. What, is that how things work in your usual circle?"

"... Maybe?"

"..." He put away the brush and packed away the makeup. "Your friends are assholes."

"Hey, yours too," Gueira scoffed. "... You're cool though."

"Oh really?" He couldn't help but smirk at that. "Is that so?"

"Yeah! You're legit like, the coolest guy I know. I mean, even though I broke your nose..."

"I told you, it's just bruised."

"Still. Thanks for like, letting me tag along with you all the time..." Gueira said, rubbing the back of his head almost bashfully. "It's been real."

\--

It took Meis awhile to realize he was hanging out more with Gueira than he hung out with his usual friends (or rather, his bandmates). 

And they certainly took notice.

“What, your little boyfriend ain’t coming today?” one of them asked one day when Meis arrived to practice alone. “He makes practice a lot more fun.”

“He’s not my boyfriend, asshole,” Meis scoffed, taking his guitar out of his case. He let his hair fall over his face as he felt his cheeks heat up at the attention.

His bandmate on the keyboard sneered, jokingly nudging their drummer’s arm. “Really? Coulda fooled me with how much you two hang out.”

Meis rolled his eyes at that. “Because you two rarely ever wanna practice.”

His drummer seemed to ignore what he had to say. “Y’know, there’s a rumor going around that you two make out at the back of the school when you ‘practice,’” he chuckled, an annoying sound to Meis’ ear as he felt his face reddened. “Whaddaya have to say to that?”

“Well it’s just a rumor,” he insisted.

“You sure?~ Your face is getting red just thinking about it, huh? Come oooon, you can tell  _ us  _ what goes on between you two.”

“He’s just. A friend. Shut the fuck up,” Meis hissed. “Can we just practice already?”

The drummer and keyboardist exchanged glances, rolling their eyes like kids who just got reprimanded by their mothers. “All riiiight, fine,” one of them said.

Meis could hear the other one mutter under his breath, “Man, are all faggots this bitchy or what…?”

He let his hair hide his expression as he looked down at his guitar, trying to forget about it.

\--

It was bad enough that his parents knew. He hated himself for leaving those magazines out carelessly peeking from under his bed so long ago. It was something so simple and easy to avoid. A lifetime secret was blown all because he was too careless.

Things were different from that day on. His mother became distant and less open to talking with him. She still spoke to him with a soft and gentle voice, but he couldn’t help but notice the disappointment in her eyes every time he left the house. His father was even worse about it, always talking him down and shutting him up on nearly anything he had to say. And on the rare occasions Meis talked back to try and defend himself, he only got beat for it. Each and every time.

He hated that he couldn’t stop the flutter in his chest whenever he was around Gueira too.

Long nights were spent tossing and turning, thinking about him and whatever small things they did that day. As much as he tried not to think too hard about it, there was little denying that Meis felt…  _ something  _ there.

It was bad enough his bandmates just  _ loved  _ to tease him for whatever existed between him and Gueira. Yet even if they hadn’t first planted that idea in Meis’ head, he couldn’t stop the possibility of the idea that… well, that it was a thing. It was a thought in Meis’ head that he simultaneously did and did not like thinking about.

Who would’ve thought, someone as loud and bold as Gueira could also be so unexpectedly supportive and…  _ nice  _ to him. Meis couldn’t remember the last time anybody had taken interest in the things he liked. Nor could he remember the last time he found himself taking genuine in someone else’s interests too.

He tried to stop whatever he was feeling the moment he realized what was going on.

He tried to think nothing of it. Gueira was just a friend. He was just overly-friendly to him because he saved him from that locker room incident. That had to be it. Plus, he had flaws, a lot of flaws. He was noisy, and he got into fights he couldn’t win. He’d end up dragging Meis into trouble too, and he copied off his homework a little too much sometimes. He always tried to act tough, despite lacking the physical prowess for it. He also showboated a lot with that loud mouth of his. 

And he was just a friend.

Meis was sure that was all Gueira viewed him as. Whenever there was a cute girl talking to Meis, Gueira would nudge him in a congratulatory manner. He fawned over pictures of girls. He never pursued any female classmates, but he showed even less signs of having any interest in guys whatsoever.

It was a hopeless endeavor no matter which way Meis sliced it.

And yet Meis couldn’t shake off the good things about Gueira either. The way he always tried, even in academics (which were definitely not his strong suit). The way he was so determined to play football despite being terrible at it. The way he still smiled in spite of all the bad things happening in his life (and it was a cute, roguish smile, Meis had to admit). All the times Gueira checked up on Meis through text and expressed concern whenever Meis came to school tired and worn down for seemingly no reason.

Every time Gueira entered the room, greeting him with that dorky smile, every time he brushed a shoulder against Meis’, he could feel his heart skip a beat against his will. 

It was shameful.

He was reminded of that shame the night he invited Gueira to his house when his parents weren’t home, against his better judgement. Waking up late on the floor of his bedroom with Gueira right next to him, and trying to sneak him out only to be caught by his father…

He kept his mouth shut with every blow his father struck him with when he got home after dropping Gueira off.

“I didn’t raise my  _ son  _ to be some slutty faggot,” his father hissed. “Just what were you thinking, sneaking that boy in here?! Did you think you could hide it from  _ me _ ?!”

“...”

_ SLAP!! _

“Answer me when I’m talking to you!!”

“I didn’t do anything with him!!” Meis shouted back, cupping his stinging cheek. “We were doing homework, and we fell asleep, okay?!” He felt something wet in his eyes. No, absolutely not. He was  _ not _ going to cry in front of him--

_ SLAP!! _

“Don’t fucking lie to me. You’re a shameful, ungrateful brat. I have had it up to  _ here  _ tolerating all your rebellious behavior. You knew you weren’t allowed to bring anyone over and you did it anyway. I don’t want to see that boy back here again, do you hear me? Cut off all contact with him if you know what’s good for you. No son of mine is going to ruin his reputation before his life starts.”

Meis fought back the stinging in his eyes. “He’s my classmate, you can’t stop me from being friends with him.”

He cried out as his father roughly pulled his hair to bring him closer. “I can and  _ will _ enroll you in a boarding school, Meis. You know what? I think I ought to do that now. You’re out of control as it is. They should be able to set you straight.” He let go of Meis, roughly shoving him back. “Go to your room.”

“You can’t do that!!”

“There’s no discussing this.  _ Go. To. Your. Room. _ ”

His father turned away with a huff, prompting Meis to do the same and turn on his heel. He fled to his room, slamming the door shut and locking it behind him.

He slid down to the floor as he did so, exhaling a shaky breath as the tears in his eyes finally started to fall.

He hated this. He absolutely hated this. His father was right in a way, he thought. He’d been nothing but a spoiled kid to his parents. He’d gotten nearly everything he wanted in his life, from his guitar to his bike, but it wasn’t… enough.

He was allowed to be himself, but he wasn’t, at the same time.

He heard a soft knock on the bedroom door at his back. He pressed a hand to his mouth, muffling the quiet cries escaping him.

“Meis…? Honey, are you okay?” It was his mother. She tried the doorknob, only to find it locked. “... Sweetie, you know your father… Please, just try to be patient with him. He just wants what’s best for you.”

Meis said nothing.  _ No he doesn’t. He just wants what’s best for his own reputation… _

“Please, just try to follow what he says… We love you very much.”

_ That isn’t love. _

The doorknob jiggled again. “Meis…? Please come out…”

_ I already did. What’s going to make now any different? _

“...”

“...” He stayed silent. Eventually he heard a quiet sigh from his mother, followed by the clicking of her shoes against the floor as she left. She did care. That much he knew. He could believe that much. He just wished she wasn’t so weak about following his dad’s every word. 

Shakily, he picked himself up off the floor and dragged himself to his bed.

Was he really going to be sent away…? That would mean no more band, even if it was never going to really take off. No more going to a school that at least let him be ignored by others when he wanted to be. No more freedom. Everything familiar would be taken away. Including Gueira.

“...” He hugged one of his pillows as he lay in bed.

Losing Gueira was probably the last thing he wanted, as much as he was reluctant to admit it.

\--

He was even more afraid of losing Gueira when he received those text messages the very next day. All of a sudden, Gueira was Burnish. All of a sudden, he’d be on every watch list and every criminal watch on TV. He was a runaway, and Meis was the only person he could turn to at that time.

And Meis was as scared as Gueira was. Even as he stayed as calm as he could the entire time, there was no ignoring the fear of either of them getting hurt or possibly even killed in Gueira’s escape from the Freeze Force.

It hadn’t been an easy decision to take Gueira home with him once they’d gotten away either. Meis was fully aware of the risks. His father was already furious with him. There was nowhere else. Gueira had nothing. Yet Meis, in a way, still had everything.

But at the same time, it was an easy decision to make. He kept telling himself such as he packed his backpack and duffel bag with clothes and food while an exhausted Gueira napped in his room, on his bed. There was nothing waiting for him here. He knew how this would have ended.

This was his chance to be free. And happy.

Somehow, even as his father physically punished him again once he found Gueira in his room, even as he slammed the door on his mother, he had no doubt it was going to be worth it.

He was in charge from that moment on, as he drove away from the house he’d known all his life. He was in charge of himself and Gueira as they rode out of Miami on his bike with only two bags full of supplies.

He was both terrified and excited at the same time to realize the reality of what had just happened, of what he had done.

But as Gueira wrapped his arms around his waist, fully trusting his judgement, he felt a little more at ease with himself…

\-----

“... Meis? Meis.” 

Meis shook his head as he snapped out of his daze and turned to Leonix, who drove next to him on his bike. In hindsight, it wasn’t a very good idea to zone out while driving, even if they were on an open road. “Huh? Sorry, what?”

“You okay, man? You’ve been zoning out a lot today.”

“I’m fine. Just… tired.” His eyes drifted to the rest of the group in front of him. Oh. He slowed down that much that he was now lagging behind everyone else. 

His eyes caught sight of Gueira, close to the head of the group. He couldn’t see his face from that angle.

“Try not to fall asleep, all right?” Leonix was saying. “... Hellooooo?”

“Right. Right, sorry.” He snapped to full attention and put his focus back on driving.

It didn’t take long for more Freeze Force units to be spotted by Yuriika. There was no doubt a huge panic in Dallas over what had transpired during the night. It was, without question, time for the Mad Burnish to move on before the flying tanks could find them again.

Meis stretched his fingers as he readjusted the grip on his Burnish bike’s handlebars. He didn’t feel much pain anymore, oddly enough. During the times when he blacked in and out of consciousness before, he felt pain surging through his body. He really was too reckless in leading that final attack on the Freeze Force.

Amazingly, the other Burnish didn’t hold it against him for his recklessness, even as they too had to be bandaged up for minor injuries. He considered it incredible, that they made it out of that explosion without major harm. Maybe that was the resilience of the Burnish. Or maybe their armor was just  _ THAT  _ good. 

The group had been driving for hours across the desert, with nothing but sand, rocks, and dry shrubs as far as the eye could see. In the distance there were some mountainous formations, but beyond that, it was nothing special. Meis noticed he hardly even broke a sweat even as they had been driving under the hot sun for so long. His skin felt warm still, especially under his jacket, but it wasn’t unbearable in the slightest. Must’ve been a Burnish thing as well.

“Let’s take a rest at that stop up ahead!” Leonix had driven to the head of the group. “Next exit! Should be clear!”

It amazed Meis that there was no one else around, either on the road or at the places they’d been in around the wasteland. Apparently, according to Blair, that part of Texas had been subject to a widespread Mad Burnish attack as part of the reign of fire, thirty years ago. It was little wonder why so many establishments were abandoned, and so much of the land was just starting to grow back.

The rest stop they arrived at was just as barren as the house they stayed at before. To Meis, it looked like something out of a zombie apocalypse movie. At any point he even expected a tumbleweed to roll by.

He was eager to hop off his bike once they slowed to a stop, his bike disintegrating as he did so and the other Burnish following suit. As the others stood around to talk and stretch, Meis patted his pocket, searching for the box of cigarettes he shoved in there before they left.

“Hey, Meis.” He looked up with a start to find Gueira suddenly in front of him. He nearly fumbled with the box before looking up at his friend. “You, uh, doing all right?”

He blinked. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m fine. Why?” He loathed the fact that after all the traveling in the hot sun and literally standing in the middle of an inferno just hours before, he was only now starting to feel a bead of sweat on his forehead. It didn’t help that it was the first time he’d made eye contact with Gueira since the… event that took place earlier that day.

“I mean, it was a long drive, y’know, and…” Gueira trailed off, awkwardly rubbing his neck. “You good and stuff? Don’t… need anything?”

Meis shook his head. He was painfully aware of some of the other Burnish staring at the two as they “talked.”

Gueira nodded back, lips pressed in a smile. “All right! Just checking! I’ll, uh, be over… here…”

As the redhead sauntered off to the rest of the group, Meis let himself release a breath he hadn’t been aware he’d been holding. 

_ Well this is just great. _

Wanting to be alone, he went off on his own to stand against the rest stop building and pulled out a cigarette. He stared at it for a second before imitating the way Gueira lit his cigarette the night before. At the very tip of his finger, he summoned a tiny flame, delicately pressing it to the end of the stick and lighting it up. 

He heard somebody approach and eagerly looked up expecting Gueira again. Instead, his heart deflated a little as he realized it was just Leonix approaching. “Hey,” he greeted, leaning against the wall with Meis. “You doing okay over here?”

“Just peachy,” Meis mumbled, offering him a cigarette. Leonix took it graciously and lit it similarly.

“Thanks. You, uh, don’t wanna join us over there?” He jerked a thumb at the group of other Burnish. Andrei and Ravio were sitting down on a picnic table while Gueira was apparently entertaining Yuriika and Blair with his ATV.

Gueira looked over to where Meis and Leonix were and waved to them with a slightly more carefree smile. 

Meis kept his eyes down, suddenly more interested in his cigarette and the remnants of Burnish flames fluttering off of it. “I’m fine on my own over here.” He inhaled before letting a cloud of smoke escape his lips, only to be startled by Leonix staring at him when he looked up. “W-What?”

“Ahh, nothing, nothing!” he insisted, waving his hand and looking off to the side. “You just seem tense today.” He seemed to study the look on Meis’ face. “How’re you feeling? About, y’know… turning Burnish?”

The dark-haired male looked up at the sky, at the clouds blocking out the sun. That’s right. The past 24 hours had been a huge rush for him. He hadn’t realized how easily he took everything in stride. It all suddenly weighed down on him, a lot of information to take in at once.

“I’m… as good as I can be, honestly,” he said. “It’s weird, though, I think. I feel like I’ve been Burnish my whole life.”

“You sure did get the hang of controlling your flames fast,” Leonix nodded, rubbing his chin contemplatively. “Like, even faster than Gueira. Or even me.” He paused. “What  _ did _ happen when you turned Burnish, anyhow? None of us were able to see it.”

Though the memories were still fresh in Meis’ mind, he felt a pang of reluctance to share the details.

_ I had to save Gueira. _

“Long story short, I ended up driving my bike into Gueira,” he explained rather hurriedly.

Leonix blinked. “Can… Can you maybe give me long story medium?”

“...” He took a moment to contemplate his words. “I wanted to run,” he admitted, blowing a puff of smoke and holding his cigarette in his hand. “I nearly did. I had the chance to.” He looked down, guilt creeping in his voice. “But… seeing Gueira about to be captured… Seeing  _ all of  _ you about to be captured, I mean--”

“You really care for each other that much, huh?” Leonix gave him a warm smile. 

Meis couldn’t help but return it. At least he felt like he redeemed himself for nearly abandoning them. “It felt like something overtook me in the moment. Next thing I know I was driving my bike into Gueira’s armor.”

“F-For real?!”

“Yeah. Or well, the ice block holding him, you know.” Come to think of it, it was a pretty stupid move in hindsight, relying solely on guts and instinct. Meis considered himself lucky it worked out. “I don’t think I was thinking straight.”

“Heh. Yeah, I’m sure you weren’t.”

Meis looked at him pointedly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, nothing! Just saying… Your devotion to Gueira is really admirable. He’s really lucky to have a guy like you around.”

Meis looked away, his gaze falling on Gueira still showing off his new ride to the visibly impressed Yuriika and Blair, who had both taken a seat on his ATV. He felt a fond smile spread across his lips. “Well, I was lucky to be friends with him.”

“You were willing to run away from home just to bring him to a safe place, though,” Leonix pointed out. “Gueira told us that much while you were out cold.”

“Yeah, well… It wasn’t like I wanted to stay home anyway.” He sighed, letting another billow of smoke free. “My parents were gonna send me away anyway. Didn’t wanna deal with me anymore so I thought ‘why not leave on my own terms?’”

“And your terms involved running away with your criminal friend and living off junk food on a cross-country trip.”

He shrugged.

“Sounds like the dream, honestly,” Leonix sighed. He looked up wistfully. “Getting to see the world together… Going where the wind takes you…”

“Mm-hm…”

“Just you, your bike, and a cute guy with his arms wrapped around your waist…”

“Y--” Meis looked at him oddly. “Sure…”

Leonix chuckled. “Gueira sure got to feel what that’s like when we were driving home after the attack…”

The vague memory of Meis riding on the back of his ATV passed briefly in his mind, the sheer thought of it threatening to light his face on fire again. Suddenly the thumbs-up Andrei flashed at him during that brief window of consciousness made sense. “Sh-Shut up.” 

“It was so cute though! You were hugging him so tight when we loaded you on, we didn’t have to worry about you falling off!”

Meis groaned and pressed the tips of his fingers to his forehead. “Shut up. Please.”

“You two are so cute, you can’t blame me for wanting to say it!”

Meis glared at him again. “Drop it.” His voice was laced with a threatening tone.

Leonix forced a playful chuckle, scratching his cheek. “R-Right. I’m sorry. I just thought I’d lighten the mood after everything…”

Meis resisted to roll his eyes again, worried they’d fall out at this rate. “Speaking of which, where are we headin’, anyway? You haven’t said a word about that since we left.”

Leonix didn’t answer at first, instead looking out at the open road not too far away from them. “... Truth is, I… don’t have much of a plan from here,” he admitted, to Meis’ surprise. 

“What?”

He sighed, stomping out the cigarette on the ground. “I’m never actually… sure, of what we’re doing. Not all the time. The others look to me as a leader because no one else wants to be. But sometimes I’m not sure I have what it takes. So for now we’re wandering until something comes up.”

“... Well, the pharmacy raid last night wasn’t your… best move,” Meis admitted. He was honestly looking forward to telling him off for pulling such a dangerous raid at a sensitive time, but looking at the leader now, he found no drive to do so. “But at least the others still follow you. And at least you can acknowledge it.”

“Heh, thanks…” Leonix managed a smile. “I wish I could think fast like you though. You really saved our tails, you and Gueira both…”

“I guess we did.”

“You two make a real power couple, don’t you?”

Meis suddenly broke into splutters, coughing up more smoke than he would’ve expected from his lungs. 

“A-Are you okay--?!”

“It isn’t like that!!” Meis hissed, not minding the fact that all the other Burnish had turned to look at him from the distance. He glared back at them and straightened up as they all immediately looked away, ignoring what had just happened.

Leonix blinked, watching Meis get the last of the smoke out of his system. “… So you two really aren’t dating?”

“No!!” He bit his tongue back upon hearing how loud he shouted that.

“Then what was that kiss we saw this morning?!”

Meis swore he felt a weight drop in chest at that. “Y… You saw that…?”

Leonix gave another nervous laugh. “Y-Yeah, uh, the front door of the house was open, and… uh...”

Meis kept his gaze away, not wanting to make eye contact. Shit. “...”

“... You… like Gueira though, don’t you?” There was no teasing tone to Leonix’s voice now. “I… kinda assumed, you did before, but…”

Meis didn’t answer beyond a small nod after a long pause. 

“You know, none of us judge here.” Leonix’s voice was quiet, almost comforting. “If you wanna talk about it…  _ Bakla  _ to  _ bakla. _ ”

“What does that even--”

“Gay to gay. ‘Cause, y’know, I have experience in this kinda thing. You can talk it out with me. Tell me how you feel?”

“... There’s nothing to talk about.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

“What do you mean…?”

“I don’t think he’d ever feel the same way… So it's best to drop it.”

“Did he tell you that much?”

Meis felt himself curl in, wanting to hide away. But of course there was no escape he could take all the way out here. There was no escaping this conversation easily now anyway. “No. But he didn’t need to. He just shook it off right after.” He slid down the wall, crouching into a squat and sighing quietly. “It’s like it never happened.”

“You two ought to talk.” Meis finally looked up to find Leonix crouching down with him. “Maybe he’s just processing it.”

“... No…” He inhaled the smoke from his cigarette again and let it blow out of his mouth. Memories of Gueira showing interest in girls flooded his mind. “There’s no way he could feel the same way…”

\--

“Is Meis okay over there?” Yuriika asked with concern as Gueira passed some of the food from his duffel bag to them. 

“Huh? Yeah, I’m sure he is,” he answered without even looking up. 

“Then what was he getting worked up about just now?” Blair asked, taking a pack of gummy bears out for himself.

“Beats me…” As he sat up to brush the hair out of his face, his eyes drifted to where Meis and Leonix were just crouching on the ground now. Whatever they had been discussing, it sure looked serious, he thought. His gaze lingered on Meis, though, and how suddenly distressed he looked, crouched down on the ground.  _ Was  _ he okay? What were they talking about? Were they maybe talking about--

“Hey, Gueira!” Andrei called over from the nearby picnic table. They made a “come here” gesture with their finger, beckoning him over as Ravio left the table to go grab food for himself. 

“What’s up, Andrei?” Gueira asked, hands shoved into his pockets. He kicked a rock on the way over before sitting up on the table.

“Just wanted to check in on ya,” they said, kicking their feet up. “Anything on your mind?”

“Why you asking?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

They shrugged. “You seem like your head’s in the clouds today. Since this morning…” They trailed off before their eyes darted to Gueira again. When he didn’t respond, they continued. “Course, your head looks like it’s always in the clouds with that perm of yours.”

“It’s not a…” he trailed off too, sighing. “I guess… I’m kinda wrapped up in… something right now.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

“... I dunno…” He averted his eyes. He’d only known these people for a day or two, yet there was no denying the camaraderie he felt just being around them. They were definitely a lot nicer than his “friends” and other classmates back home, that’s for sure.

“All right, but if you ever feel like it, I’m here.” And then again, it’s not like he had anyone else to talk about this to. Might as well be someone who looked like they had better relationship experience than him (that is to say, he really didn’t have any).

“A-Actually…” he started, swallowing. His fists clenched and unclenched as he sighed.

… What was he doing? He couldn’t possibly talk about it, especially with someone he barely knew. It was all in his head anyway, he thought to himself. That morning felt like a weird dream that left him feeling more confused than other dreams he’d had in the past, even for how aware he was that it really did happen. Maybe it was just best to act like it didn't happen, at least until Meis wanted to talk about it.

“... No, it’s nothing. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“You sure? You look like you’re dying to say something.” 

“I’m… sure. It’s kinda heavy stuff, I think…”

At that moment, Leonix called from close to the road. “Hey, uh, guys?”

“Guess we don’t have time now anyway…” Andrei muttered as they headed over, Gueira in tow. “Something wrong, Boss?”

“The Freeze Force didn’t catch up already, did they?” Gueira asked, happy to take his mind off his current worries. The others gathered to where Leonix was. Gueira found himself standing next to Meis again, as he usually did. 

He felt a pang of disappointment as Meis adjusted his stance, inching ever so slightly away as he pointed to what Leonix was looking at.

In the distance was a column of multicolored flames.

“Other Burnish…?” Yuriika softly gasped.

“Looks like it. I think we ought to head there and see if they need help.” Already, he was summoning his bike, hopping on it and signaling for the others to do the same.

As Meis hopped on his own bike, he held onto an expression of concern.

“Something wrong, Meis?” Gueira asked.

Meis didn’t quite look at him, eyes still trained on the rising flames. “Something about this doesn’t feel right…”

“What do you mean?” 

“... It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Before Gueira could get another word in, Leonix revved his bike, catching everyone’s attention again. “Mad Burnish! Let’s get going!” Leonix commanded, immediately driving ahead with everyone else following.

\--

As the group grew closer to the spire of flames, they found themselves driving off the empty road and onto the comparatively bumpy wasteland. For all that he stuck out for it, Gueira found himself grinning at how his ATV rolled over the various rocks and through patches of vegetation while the others looked to have a harder time with their bikes. At one point, Leonix even asked him to drive a little ahead of them to clear a path for them, particularly with all the dead bushes causing their bikes to jump every now and then.

Behind him, he could hear Meis riding alongside Leonix.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Meis suddenly spoke up.

“Huh? What for?” their leader asked.

“Something about this definitely doesn’t feel right,” he explained. “Think about it. A Burnish, all the way out here?”

“Maybe it’s a group of them?” Gueira called behind them. “I mean, that’s a pretty big flare.”

“Maybe, but that’s all the more reason to go and help out!” Leonix said.

“But with all the Freeze Force in the area--”

“We’ll just have to wait and see! Put our faith in lady luck!”

“... That’s one way to put it…” Meis muttered.

\--

As they rolled over a hill, a large structure with a gated fence around it came into view just a few miles away. Meis recognized it immediately as a prison. Or rather, what was left of it. The fence had already been toppled over, with tire tracks leading into what was once the prison’s outside block. Within the property, there looked to be a group of people gathered around a bonfire, similar to the one the Mad Burnish had lit the night before. 

“Hold on,” Meis called out, his bike slowing down and rolling off to the side. The others behind him slowed as well. “I think I’d like to stay behind.”

“Stay behind? What for?” Leonix asked.

“Call it being cautious…” He looked down the hill at the prison. “They may be Burnish, but they could still be dangerous. It’s like believing all humans are trustworthy just because everyone’s a human. Plus, there’s no telling if the Freeze Force might be watching.”

“We could probably take them if they tried anything!” Gueira argued. “I think I’m already itching to be near that bonfire…”

“Hm…” Leonix looked to the others for approval, only to be met with unsure stares and neutral expressions. “Well… I guess there’s no harm in being cautious. You have a point, Meis. I want you and Gueira to stay here and keep watch.”

“B-Both of us?” Gueira asked. 

“Yeah. If everything’s good, I’ll send a stream of fire into the air. If something goes wrong, I’ll send like, three short blasts. Sound good?”

“That’s… okay, sure.” Meis nodded.

“Good. You two stay here then. Behave while we’re gone!” With a cheeky grin and wave, he started down the hill on his bike, followed by the other Mad Burnish.

\--

Ten minutes passed before either of the two young men said anything. Gueira kept his eyes trained on the group of bikes riding across the desert, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake. Every now and then he snuck a glance at Meis, who similarly watched the group while leaning forward to rest his chin on his arm.

At one point, Meis glanced to him too, locking gazes for just a split second before they both looked away.

Gueira had never felt more awkward in his life.

_Do I… have to say something to him?_ _Is he feeling weird about this too? _

“Gueira--” “Hey, Meis--”

Both of their mouths immediately clamped shut. 

Gueira spoke first. “Sorry, what were you gonna say?”

“Nothing.”

“… You hungry or something?”

Meis didn’t look at him, still looking ahead instead. “No,” he said simply. Even for Meis, a response that brief was… out of it.

Regardless, Gueira took off the duffel bag on his shoulder and dug through it. Its contents were a disorganized mess, but he pulled out the first thing his hand grabbed onto, that being a half-crushed bag of potato chips. He shrugged to himself and popped it open, snacking on a few before offering it to Meis anyway.

“You sure?” he asked, trying to offer a friendly smile.

Meis’ eyes briefly fell on the bag in his hand, that at Gueira himself, before returning to staring straight ahead. “No, thank you.”

“You haven’t eaten anything for breakfast, though…” the redhead pouted as he looked up at the sun’s position above them. “It’s high noon! It’s practically lunchtime already and you haven’t eaten at all!”

“... I don’t have much of an appetite.” The tone in his voice was enough to send a clear message to Gueira. It was the tone of someone who was annoyed with the conversation and wanted it dropped.

_ He really doesn’t wanna talk… Is he that mad at me? _

\--

_ Leonix, I swear I am going to kick your ass for this. _

Meis switched the arm he rested his chin on. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the real intent of Leonix’s order to stay behind.  _ “You two ought to talk,”  _ he had said before.

As if Meis was going to take the risk and inevitably make things more awkward.

He’d never felt the air this thick between him and Gueira before. He couldn’t even bear to look at him in this state. So instead, he kept looking straight ahead, trying hard to pretend he wasn’t sitting on his ATV next to his bike and eating potato chips uncharacteristically quietly (how a man eat potato chips  _ that _ quietly, he was fascinated to know).

The Mad Burnish were a lot closer to the prison now. He had calculated how much time it would take for him and Gueira to travel down there. Assuming Leonix and the others were traveling at a moderate pace, he hoped that his bike and Gueira’s ATV could make the trip in time at their fastest speed should anything go wro--

_ Grumble… _

“Sounds to me like you  _ do _ have an appetite…” Gueira scoffed, taking a water bottle out of his bag and drinking from it. In his other hand, he shook the bag of chips at Meis. “C’mon, you need to eat.”

“... I think I just want to drink,” Meis said simply. As much as possible, he wanted to keep his eyes off Gueira. Just feeling Gueira’s eyes on him was enough to send his heart into loud thumps in his chest, no matter what he tried. Looking at him would just make him even more inexplicably nervous.

Just WHAT was going through Gueira’s mind, Meis wondered? Was he just trying to forget that morning ever happened? Were they… possibly an item now?... No, absolutely not. After the way Gueira walked out of the house, and after how he’d been acting all day, it couldn’t have been that. It was stupid to even consider that. A kiss or whatever that really was was not a confession by any means, Meis reasoned. 

How could he have been sure that Gueira felt the same way if Meis started the kiss, after all?

It was stupid. He was stupid. Everything was stupid and it did NOT help that Gueira was treating everything like normal when it  _ wasn’t  _ even though that  _ was  _ what Meis wanted--

“Uh… uh oh.” Gueira was sifting through his duffel bag again. “You wouldn’t happen to have any water in your backpack, would you?”

Meis took off his backpack and felt through its contents, groping and grabbing at his packed clothes and books and half-eaten food. No water. “I don’t have any.” He paused as the realization dawned in his head. “Don’t tell me…”

“Yeeeaaah, we’re outta water…” Gueira sighed. He looked at the half-empty bottle in his hand and held if out for Meis. “Here, you could have the rest of this though.”

Hesitantly, Meis took the bottle from him, gulping dryly. There was no doubt that his thirst had just elevated by about 300% upon hearing they were out of water otherwise, but… to drink from the same bottle Gueira had would’ve been…

“No, never mind,” Meis handed it back to a confused-looking Gueira.

“Huh? You just said--”

“I’m fine,” he insisted, then continued without thinking with the first excuse that came to mind, “I don’t want to trade germs.”

He immediately regretted saying that, especially upon hearing Gueira mutter to himself. “Well okay, fine then…”

\--

_ Fuck, he really is mad, isn’t he?  _ Gueira thought as he stuffed the bottle back into his bag. Looking over, he caught a glance at Meis, now leaning on his other arm. Past the hair blocking out part of his face, Gueira made out a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes. That was the same look he had whenever he was trying to listen to the teacher in class and some loud assholes were making everything harder for the class.  _ Yeah, he’s mad… _

He didn’t want Gueira’s germs? Okay, well, thinking that to himself, Gueira understood. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a  _ little  _ upset by that--

… Oh.

He wanted to smack himself upside the head upon realizing what Meis could’ve possibly been thinking of. After that morning, no wonder he’d be opposed to drinking from the same bottle as him!! What was he thinking?! That was just gonna be another kiss, just indirect!! He was just grossing him out more!

And that just made Gueira flash back to the kiss from that morning once again. Replaying the memory in his mind, he cringed at remembering the fact that it was his first. He lacked experience and there was little doubt in his mind that it was obvious. Was it bad? Was his part of the kiss so bad that it deterred Meis from wanting to drink water out in the middle of the fucking _desert?_

But at the same time, was Meis  _ seriously  _ going to risk dehydrating himself in the middle of the desert for that? Gueira frowned to himself, half-hoping Meis would see his expression too. Okay, fine, if he wanted to risk getting dehydrated over this, then he’ll let him. It would be his own fault.

… yet in the back of his mind, Gueira couldn’t help but question why he just  _ had _ to give into that surprise urge to kiss Meis that morning and start it all.

\--

Far ahead, the rest of the Mad Burnish continued pressing forward.

“So, did you talk to Meis a while ago, Boss?” Andrei asked as they neared the prison.

“I did,” he nodded. “You talked to Gueira?”

“Tried to, but he wouldn’t talk!”

“I could barely get Meis to, myself. He thinks it’s best to not do anything about it! Doesn’t even wanna talk! Like everything’s just gonna  _ magically  _ get better if they ignore it ever happened!”

They rode in silence for a few moments.

“... Boss?”

“Yes?”

“Are they stupid?”

He nodded. “They are stupid.”

"... They're also just kids, though..."

"Right..."

The group rolled into the prison’s outdoor block, rolling over the toppled fences along the way. As they drew closer to the bonfire in the middle of the block, they could see a group of less than a dozen Burnish huddled around it, all crouched down and all turning their heads to the approaching bikers.

They all looked at Leonix with weary, almost sad expressions as he was the first to dismount his bike, raising his hands non-threateningly. “Hey,” he greeted. “We got your signal fire. You’re all Burnish, aren’t you?”

One of them, a girl in a black tank top and baggy pants, spoke up, softly but also scared. “Yes… we’re really sorry about this.”

He grimaced. “Sorry about what…?”

The sound of multiple guns clicking made the whole group turn around towards the prison building’s entrance. At least two dozen Freeze Force soldiers filed out quickly and stood at the ready, guns pointed at the Mad Burnish troops. 

Out there, in the open, there was no place to hide. In mere seconds, there were twice as many soldiers as Burnish present.

Leonix’s eyes widened as he looked back at the group of Burnish. One of them, a youngster with a buzz cut and black leather jacket, raised their hands too with everyone else, looking at the Mad Burnish apologetically. “Please forgive us. We just wanted our friends back.”

_ BANG! BANG! BANG! _

As Leonix ducked instinctively and shut his eyes in fear, his hand fired three consecutive fireballs high into the air, just as icy bullets rained down on him and the rest of the Burnish.

\--

“--!! Gueira, look!” 

Gueira snapped out of his thoughts as Meis suddenly pointed towards the prison. The bonfire of Burnish flames had begun to shrink, but there were three clearly purple flares falling out of the sky like the remnants of fireworks.

“That’s the signal! Something’s wrong!” Meis said, summoning black flames around him. In an instant, he broke through the flames fully clad in his armor.

Gueira didn’t even have to think to trigger his armor’s formation. In no time, he too was fully clad again, feeling like a giant once more. “Then let’s get down there already!” He lurched upwards, jumping his ATV into the air before riding it down the slope of the hill with Meis following close behind.

It didn’t take long for Meis to overtake him, with his bike’s engine revving loudly as he leaned forward for speed. “Hurry it up!!” he shouted. “They’re in danger!!”

“All right, all right, geez!!” Gueira leaned forward similarly, his ATV humming underneath and the dry shrubs around them catching fire. 

As they got closer to the prison, however, the situation became clearer. In the far distance, a Freeze Force aircraft was flying in from the other direction.

“Gueira!!” Meis started to slow on his bike until he realized Gueira was still driving at full speed despite the risk. “Gueira, wait!!” He picked up his speed again and caught Gueira’s arm in his, only to be dragged along with him even as he tried to brake, going as far as to jam one of his bladed legs into the ground. “Stop, STOP!!”

“HUH?!” A hard brake against the rough terrain sent the two tumbling off their rides. Although Gueira felt the inside of his armor adjust to getting thrown off, he still felt his head bump against the inside of his helmet as he hit the ground. “OW!! Fuck, why did you do that?!”

“What part of ‘wait’ and ‘stop’ don’t you understand?!” Meis snapped as he picked himself off the ground. “It’s too dangerous!!”

The Freeze Force tank was now descending on the prison grounds. From there they stood, Gueira could now see multiple soldiers coming out of the prison, having apparently been staking out inside. They began surrounding groups of Burnish, including a few imprisoned in ice blocks.

“The hell are we waiting for?!” Gueira growled as he got back on his ATV. “They’re gonna get taken away!!”

“It’s too dangerous for the two of us!” Meis argued, trying to block his path off. “It’s an ambush! We’ll be outnumbered!”

“I TOOK OUT MORE OF THEM YESTERDAY!!” Without thinking, his armor’s hand reached out, effortlessly picking Meis’ armor up around the waist, and roughly dropped him off to the side. “Fine then, I got this!! I’ll do it myself!!” With a loud roar of his ride’s engine, Gueira sped ahead.

“GUEIRA!!”

He didn’t look back, his focus completely centered on the aircraft carrier that had already landed. Through his green visor, he could see soldiers loading their friends into the carrier. Some of the soldiers stood talking to some people kneeling with their hands in the air.

To his horror, the soldiers suddenly fired at the kneeling people, freezing them solid and picking some of them up.

He heard shouting from the soldiers as he got closer to the site, already charging a fireball in his hand and launching it toward the aircraft. The ground immediately caught on fire, having barely missed the tank itself, but it succeeded in catching everyone else’s attention. In an instant, the soldiers had their guns aimed and fired an onslaught of ice bullets at Gueira.

He let out an angry yell, feeling his blood boil as he channeled the heat in his armor to keep himself from succumbing to the bullets’ effect. However, as he neared the toppled fence separating the prison from the outside world, the rain of bullets on his armor died out. He barely had time to question it as he felt his ATV’s wheels suddenly jam, frozen in blocks of ice, and he was tumbling gracelessly onto the ground.

The sound of the aircraft taking off called him to his feet as he stood again, brushing off the frost that was starting to accumulate on his chest. He directed a blast of flames at the aircraft, but only succeeded in swaying it in the air as he once more felt a barrage of bullets hit him. He cried out as he felt the force of so many bullets, far more than yesterday’s barrage, banged against the chest of his armor. 

To his horror, he could’ve sworn he felt some of his armor even chip and break off in pieces, and quickly tried to reform his armor under the heavy fire. 

Behind him, he heard the roar of Meis’ bike as it jumped over him, landing with a slide as he barreled into a cluster of Freeze Force officers before hopping off and knocking others back with a burst of flames.

“Tch, show-off!!” Gueira shook the ice off his armor again and collected flames in his palm once more, launching it at a soldier just before they could try to get close enough to Meis to hit him with the butt of their gun. Meis, meanwhile, had taken a more physical approach, making good use of the blades on his armor’s limbs and his extended reach to kick and knock back whatever soldiers were around him before switching back to using his flames. 

All the while, the sound of gunfire in the air didn’t stop. As Gueira swiped a giant claw at some of the soldiers he noticed getting too close to him, he heard Meis cry out. He’d been buffeted enough for his back and part of his arm to get frozen. Gueira immediately summoned a serpent-like stream of red-hot fire around and hopped closer to Meis, staying at his back, helping him melt it off.

“Reckless!!” Meis scolded him (to Gueira’s amazement, given their current situation). “I told you to wait and you didn’t!!” The extra limbs on his shoulders shot flames at the line of soldiers firing from the back of the enemy’s formation, sending them diving for the ground.

“We were gonna lose the tank, you dick!!” Gueira argued back as he lunged forward briefly to rake his claws against a couple of soldiers and knock them down. He looked up to find the aircraft was already sailing away in the sky. “And we did!!”

“Look at it this way--” Meis suddenly turned around and stabbed one of his arms forward past Gueira’s head to blast fire as Gueira similarly launched a fireball over Meis’ head, “-- if we fell into the same trap as the others, there’d be no more hope for the rest of them.”

With a rare free moment on hand, Meis looked over at the blocks of frozen people left behind on the ground, causing Gueira to look their way as well. They all looked like regular humans in normal clothes, yet their faces were frozen in terror as they laid there.

“We got more company!” Meis pointed to the sky. 

Gueira’s heart sank at the sight of five Freeze Force tanks flying in from the distance.

“We can’t take that many,” Meis said simply as he knocked back more Freeze Force soldiers, using his fire to keep them down for the count. “Gueira, pick up the Burnish!! We need to go!!”

“What, seriously?!” 

Meis was already loading hoisting two of the frozen Burnish onto his shoulders, keeping them in place with his extra limbs as they melted, and somehow managed to load a third onto his bike. “Hurry up, before the reinforcements get here!”

The sight of the incoming Freeze Force tanks reminded Gueira of just how difficult it was just taking out three of them. He switched sights to the remaining three Burnish on the ground and picked them up effortlessly in his arms, before summoning his ATV just as Meis mounted his bike.

As they sped off back into the desert, they could feel the ice from the frozen Burnish melting on their shoulders and arms. Some of the Freeze Force soldiers had gotten back up and continued firing at them, even as they fell way out of range.

A close call, all things considered.

\--

It took some time for Gueira and Meis to agree on a place to camp out. They eventually managed to find a cave to camp out in and watch as the rest of the ice that encased their fellow Burnish melted. Gueira kept the fire going as Meis took off his jacket and gave it to the first Burnish that woke up.

She was a young lady in a tank top and baggy pants. She looked as though she could’ve fit right into the Mad Burnish group, if Gueira had to be honest. “Where… are we?” she asked upon coming to and accepting the jacket for warmth.

“The Freeze Force nearly got you,” Meis explained simply. “We managed to get you and the others out. But your other friends…”

Her eyes widened. “That’s right…! Wait, so who--” She looked to the other Burnish, some of whom started to stir. “W-What… happened to everyone else…?!”

“Taken by the Freeze Force, obviously,” Gueira answered blankly, earning him a glare from Meis. 

“What? But… they said…”

One of the other Burnish, a youngster with a buzzcut and a similar leather jacket to Meis’, sat up with a start. “Wh--?!”

“You’re awake,” Meis acknowledged.

The girl turned her attention to the other immediately. “Rach, the others…!!”

“Huh?” Rach looked at her with equally wide eyes. “What’s going on?!”

“They said they wouldn’t take us away if we cooperated!” She was breathing quickly now. “Th-They promised, if we… we…”

“Sasha, calm down!” Rach said. They looked around wildly. “W-Where’s everyone else…?! Jessica… I don’t see Hya or Gabe here either!!”

“Hey, hey, calm down…!” Gueira joined in. “You’re safe here, for now. We’re really sorry… You’re the only ones we could get outta that hellhole.”

“But… our friends…” Sasha softly murmured, only to be consoled by an equally-distressed Rach.

Gueira sighed and turned to Meis as they kept the fire going. “... Maybe we should wait until they’re all awake and, uh, y’know, calmed down.”

“Agreed…” He took off his backpack and placed it down in front of Sasha and Rach, who calmed down further upon looking up at him. “Here, uh, there’s food inside if you want any…” He nudged it closer to them with his foot. “Second zipper. First zipper is my clothes and stuff. We’ll explain everything when you’re all awake and settled in.”

“Th… Thanks,” Rach managed.

Meis sat on the ground next to Gueira with a tired sigh. “...”

“...” 

Neither looked at each other, eyes instead focused on the relatively small Burnish fire burning on the cave floor.

To Meis’ relief, Gueira spoke up. To his disappointment, his tone was laced with tranquil fury. “We could’ve saved the others.” _I_ _ f you hadn’t slowed me down,  _ Meis knew he was dying to add on.

“And you’re absolutely sure of that?” Meis asked, raising an eyebrow despite not looking at him.

“I was  _ this  _ close to catching that aircraft.” Gueira looked Meis in the eye, his fingers close together to emphasize the failure. “If you hadn’t wiped me out--”

“You’d have been frozen in an ice block within seconds,” Meis interrupted. “Don’t pretend I didn’t see your armor flying off under all that pressure.”

“I didn’t know it could do that!!” Gueira snapped back. A long silence followed. Gueira followed Meis’ gaze to the two Burnish, now watching over their other friends with their backs to them. “My flames are stronger that… At least, that’s what I thought…” he grumbled.

“... Your body didn’t get hit, did it?” Meis asked. Though he was still frowning, his voice was soft, almost… worried.

“No. Don’t worry about that.” He was shaken up, but as far as he knew, he wasn’t badly injured. In the silence that followed, Gueira took the chance to retrieve his water bottle and some granola bars from his duffel bag. Without looking directly at Meis, he handed him one of the granola bars. “Here.”

For a split second, Meis looked down at his hand and cautiously took it, opening it immediately and biting into it. “... I’m gonna worry, but thanks,” he mumbled.

Gueira nodded before leaning back against the cave wall with a sigh. The sun was still beating down on the desert outside. He had doubts about what to do now. He looked to Meis again, who was already holding an empty wrapper in his hand. Without saying anything, he handed him another granola bar. Again, Meis took it without looking him in the eye and immediately began eating it.

Gueira handed him his water bottle. “So what’s the plan from here?”

“No idea,” he admitted, taking the bottle. “We’ll wait for these Burnish to wake up and--” 

His eyes suddenly widened before he faced the other way, spluttering water and spitting it onto the ground.

“W-What’s wrong?!” Gueira honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or yell in disbelief as Meis continued to splutter. 

“Y-You drank from this.” He wiped his mouth with his arm.

“Yeah, so?!” He didn’t miss the fact that Sasha and Rach were looking their way now as two of their friends woke up. “You still need to drink!!  _ Sorry _ if you don’t want my germs, but I bet you’re dehydrated by now!” If there was anybody who knew the dangers of dehydration, it was definitely Gueira. After the first time he nearly fainted from exerting himself during training, he was determined to not see the same happen to Meis. 

Even if it meant...

“R… Right…” Meis looked at the half-empty bottle with… some mix between what Gueira interpretted to be disgust and concern.

“Well?” Gueira raised an eyebrow, despite feeling the heat rise to his face. “Drink it.”

“...” Meis sighed, finally looking the redhead in the eyes with a look of guilt. “Listen, when I said I didn’t wanna trade germs, I didn’t really mean i--”

“I know. Save it. Drink.”

With another sigh, Meis took another sip of the water, drinking until it was nearly empty before capping it. “There. Happy?”

“Not really, but I’m less not happy now.”

A scoff. “Good.” He leaned back against the cave wall and crossed his arms.

“Good.” Gueira did the same.

…

This was getting ridiculous. And both of them knew it. The air was thick with tension once again, and with nothing else happening, there ought to be something to be done about it now.

“Gueira--” “Meis--”

Their mouths immediately clamped shut again. Meis made a gesture as if to allow Gueira to speak first.

So he did. He took a deep breath, gathering his words and thinking a little clearly for once. “Meis… I wanted to say sorry.”

“For…?”

“For…” Well, there was a long list of things to apologize for already. But first, the obvious. “I’m sorry I went ahead and did what you said not to do.”

Without missing a beat, Meis spoke back. “And I’m sorry for holding you back.”

“No, man, you did the right thing, I think,” Gueira sighed, scratching at his head. “I probably was close to gettin' captured or killed. Again. That… was a  _ lot _ of Freeze Force officers. You're right, we probably wouldn't have been able to beat all of 'em.” A pause, before he continued. “This is the part where you call me out for being cocky and shit.”

“You  _ are  _ cocky and shit,” Meis solemnly agreed, “but you had your heart in the right place. You just wanted to save everyone. And… I was the one who prevented that from happening. I’m sorry.”

“You were just looking out for me like always.” He gave a weak smile. “You just had to jump in on your bike like that, though, didn’t you?”

“I did what I felt was necessary.” He shrugged nonchalantly, earning a small chuckle from Gueira followed by a soft punch to the shoulder. “I don’t want to see you getting hurt on my watch.”

Meis turned his head to look at him, his hair falling out of his face ever so slightly. Their gazes locked.

Their faces were somehow just a foot away from each other again.

Just as quickly as their gazes locked, they looked away again, red creeping on both their faces.

Gueira traced a finger on the cave floor as Meis rubbed his arms. “Meis…”

“Yes?”

“I… about this morning…” 

He was interrupted by the sound of one of the other Burnish freaking out on the other side of the cavern. Both young men looked over to find one of the Burnish who had been knocked out, a slightly older girl with long black hair, was trying to shake awake her friend.

“What’s going on?” Meis got up to investigate, with Gueira trailing behind him (somewhat relieved, somewhat disappointed).

The girl’s friend, who had long purple hair in ponytails, was lying still on the floor. Now that the ice on her had melted, her injuries were more apparent. She had a large bruise on her face, and many bandages adorning her arm up to the shoulder.

“Nahalina, please wake up!” the Burnish girl was saying, with Rach and Sasha hovering over them.

“Shit, what happened to her…?!” Gueira asked.

“She’s been injured for some time,” Rach explained. “The Freeze Force… They roughed her up as an example of what would happen if we didn’t follow their orders.”

“What  _ were _ their orders?” 

“They wanted to capture you Mad Burnish folk. They held our friends hostage and ordered us to do something to make you come to us. And you did.”

The purple-haired girl, Nahalina, stirred lightly. “Ada…?” She evidently had barely any energy to turn her head, even as she was now free from her restraints. “I can’t… move…”

“It’s going to be okay!!” Adaluna insisted. “W-We got away from the Freeze Force. We can make a run for it with the others that’re left!”

“I don’t… know if I can…” A quiet whimper escaped her. 

“Does it hurt…?” 

“P-Please, it hurts…” She tried to get up, only to break into tears. “Please, help…”

“Then…” 

Gueira felt a hand on his shoulder as Meis pulled him back slightly. It was a difficult scene to watch, seeing tears bubble up in both girls’ eyes. Meis opened his mouth to say something…

… but didn’t get a chance to as Adaluna’s eyebrows furrowed, a determined look on her face as she gently leaned down, pressing her lips to Nahalina’s. 

The cave was bathed in the additional soft glow of Burnish fires barely streaming out between the two girls mouths. Nahalina’s body was suddenly glowing ever so subtly, and soon she was sitting up slowly before Gueira and Meis could even try to question what was happening.

Adaluna hooked an arm under and around Nahalina’s body before helping her sit up. “Th… Thank you…” Nahalina whispered, placing a hand on Adaluna’s shoulder as she was helped up.

“W… What the hell was that…?” Gueira asked, dumbfounded.

“I think she's stable now,” one of the other Burnish, a taller lady with curly black hair and shades pushed up to her forehead, simply explained. “Your flames have provided us enough warmth. But she just had to close the gap to ensure Nahalina healed properly.”

“We… We can do that?” Meis asked. 

“Do what?” 

“You know… kiss to heal each other.” His lips were pressed in a thin line. 

“If our injuries cross a certain point, then yes…” She paused to help Nahalina stand as well. “You’re Mad Burnish, aren’t you? Haven’t you ever gotten injured to that point where it happens?”

Neither Gueira nor Meis answered at first, shifting in place.

“We…” Meis broke the silence. His fists clenched as he looked up and looked at Rach. “We have more important matters to get through right now. I need you to explain what was going on with the Freeze Force, in detail.”

The group of six Burnish before them looked at each other warily. One of the others who had just woken up, a woman with sun-bleached skin and messy blonde hair, spoke up. “Okay… But we’re trusting you here.”

\--

Meis stayed deep in thought throughout the group’s story on what they had been through. Apparently they had been traveling together as a ragtag team of otherwise unrelated individuals for months now. They had been a larger group, close to about a dozen of them before they were found out. They were surprisingly well-informed about Burnish nature too, evidently. Yza, the woman with the messy blonde hair, even demonstrated the ability to summon a bike much like Meis’. Though the Burnish group apparently wasn’t as adept at fighting, having chosen instead to run from place to place and avoid conflict. 

“We found that prison about a couple weeks ago,” Yza continued explaining. “We’d been on the run for so long… We thought it’d be our new home for a while. But one of the kids--”

“You guys had Burnish kids…?!” Gueira interrupted, incredulous. “Kids can turn Burnish too…?!”

Ymir, the curly-haired lady, nodded solemnly. “Yes… bless her heart, she didn’t mean to do it, but… she set something on fire by accident at a bad time. The Freeze Force found us out. We thought we were all gonna be taken in, but…” She trailed off.

Sasha finished for her. “They decided to take some of us as hostages. They wanted the rest of us to create a flare, hoping it’d attract the Mad Burnish.”

Meis nodded. “Well… it worked.”

Rach shook his head. “We’re sorry. We had no choice. They  _ promised  _ they’d let the rest of them go if we did what they said, and--”

“And they lied like the buncha bastards they are!!” Gueira angrily slammed a fist on the cave floor, creating a short burst of flames that evidently startled Adaluna and Nahalina. “Take this as a lesson, you can’t trust them!!”

“Gueira, calm down,” Meis gently said.

“That’s it, now I’m REALLY itchin’ to make them pay!!” He growled and stood up, marching over to the cave entrance and pointing out of it. “And you’re all gonna help us!!”

“Gueira, are you even listening to yourself?” Despite his temper, Meis stood and joined him, keeping his voice even and steady. “These Burnish probably don’t know how to fight. And they shouldn’t be anywhere near the danger anyway. Some of them are still injured...”

“But…” Nahalina spoke up meekly. “Um, you two are around our age, aren’t you…? Or even younger… You shouldn’t have to deal with this either.”

“Our ages don’t matter,” Gueira scoffed. “They took away our friends too! Are you all just gonna sit here and do nothing about it?!”

“...”

Meis couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity as Gueira’s shoulders slumped. “Gueira…”

However, he perked up almost instantaneously. “... No, you’re right, Meis. I shouldn’t have asked you all to do something dangerous after all that. Sorry. I just… have a lotta reason to hate those sons of bitches.”

“...” Meis looked to the group. “Do any of you happen to know where your friends were taken?”

Adaluna and Nahalina exchanged glances nervously, before the latter spoke. “I… We saw the direction the first aircraft went, when it first took our friends. It’s not much, but--”

“But it’s something,” Meis finished. He turned to Gueira. “When do you wanna leave?”

Gueira looked at him in mild surprise. “What, you’re not gonna try to stop me?”

“You’re a reckless idiot, but your heart’s still in the right place. I don’t want to let our people suffer too, you know. As long as we have a plan this time, I think we might actually have a chance.”

Gueira looked him in the eye before nodding with a smile. “Then let’s get going ASAP.” He turned to the other Burnish still inside the cave. “Nahalina. Point us where you saw them head. The rest of you stay here and rest up. Once we got a plan together, I wanna head out.”

“Wait.” Yza stood. “I wanna go with.”

“You do?”

“You think this is my first time dealing with shitheads like these?” she spat. “As if I’m gonna let a couple kids have all the fun.”

Rach and Sasha exchanged glances and similarly stood up. “Count us in too. We have to make it up to you,” Rach said, to which Sasha nodded.

“We don’t know how to do _all _the  things you did back there…” Sasha joined in. “But if you’re willing to show us how to do all that, we wanna help get our friends back too.”

“Us too,” Adaluna stood, followed by Nahalina. “We… We have a burning vengeance now!!”

Nahalina raised her hand. “And I have to point you to where the aircraft was headed anyway. M-Might as well learn how to fight…”

Ymir stood as well, crossing her arms. “They took all the kids in our groups. I’m absolutely not gonna stand by for this one.”

Meis looked over to find Gueira grinning with a spark in his eyes. “Really?! Then we don’t have any time to waste!!” He turned to Meis so suddenly that Meis nearly jumped. “Meis, looks like we got some work to do! Hope you’re still good at tutoring!”

Meis blinked, before smiling. “If that’s how you wanna put it… Let’s see how qualified you  _ are  _ to teach, then.”

_ Some other things will have to wait a while… so long as something like this is going on. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My other goal for this chapter was to throw in a dub casting joke somewhere in there, if you didn't notice.  
Some special thanks and acknowledgements to my friends from the GueiMei server for providing me with their OC's to use for this chapter!  
\- Sasha by Bolon  
\- Rach by Paige  
\- Yza by Kiri  
\- Ymir by Gingi  
\- Adaluna and Nahalina by Ramen  
Y'all are the best, and I know I say this all the time, but thank you for your support!!


	6. Smoking Gun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Man, action scenes are hard  
Also me: (*makes this chapter super action-centric*)
> 
> Also I remember reaching like 7k words for this and being like, "oh man is this chapter gonna end up shorter than the other two?"
> 
> This chapter ended up about 12k words.

Gueira let out an angry cry as he intercepted Meis’ flying kick, catching his armor’s leg with his giant hand and tossing him to the side. He could barely hear his partner’s grunt as he bounced across the ground before jumping back up (just how was he so balanced on those sharpened points for feet?). Just as quickly as he got up, he practically flew towards Gueira, swinging a bladed arm in a wide arc only for Gueira to use his arm as a shield.

“Don’t make your swings so wide!” Gueira chided, laughing as he swiped a claw at Meis, who jumped back in time to dodge with his own haughty laugh.

With blinding speed, Meis suddenly ducked out of his view, and within seconds Gueira was suddenly yelping as he felt his legs sweep under his feet, knocking him down. “And you should keep your stance more grounded!” Meis shouted back. “Those tiny legs will be your downfall if you’re not careful.”

His leg came swinging down at Gueira, who could barely move to the side in time to dodge. Upon impact with the ground, a burst of blue fire erupted from Meis’ leg, leaving an imprint right next to Gueira’s head. 

In one quick motion, the redhead’s hand caught the side of Meis’ armor, catching him by the hip and slamming him into the ground, reversing their positions. As Gueira stood over his friend, keeping a giant claw on him to pin him down, he could make out Meis’ startled expression past his helmet.

They stayed like that for much longer than Gueira found necessary until he lifted his hand off of Meis. “Sorry, too rough?”

“More like not rough enough, considering who we’re up against.”

Gueira reached a hand out to Meis, who grabbed onto it and pulled himself up. From this angle, he could see Meis’ smile past the yellow visor on his helmet. Hours of training and he still hadn’t broken much of a sweat. “Not bad though,” Gueira said.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” Before Meis could follow up, though, he looked around them. “How’re the others doing?”

Spread out throughout the field of dirt and rocks, the other six Burnish had taken to similar pair-ups to train. 

In the distance, Nahalina and Adaluna were practicing summoning their bikes and racing them down the stretch of land. Now that Nahalina was healed from her injuries for the most part, she was more lively, sometimes throwing a witty comment to a more energetic Adaluna as they raced around. They had definitely learned to pick up speed while still being careful not to lose balance over the rough terrain.

Meanwhile, Sasha and Rach were busy practicing creating their armor. Rach seemed more experienced, Gueira noted. Though quiet, they held a passionate spark in their eye even as they gave pointers to Sasha on how to create a stronger set of armor. Sasha herself had the bike and helmet down, but had evidently less experience with fighting in armor. She had made significant progress thanks to Gueira’s advice though (even if it was incredibly vague). At times they’d even practice using their armor to aim and send blasts of fire at significant-looking rocks to get the hang of attacking.

Ymir and Yza were sparring similar to Gueira and Meis not too far away in the meantime. Apparently, Yza had been more accustomed to fighting off the Freeze Force on the rare occasions they showed up. That or she came from a tougher background, Gueira figured. She had even come up with her own technique that involved morphing her armor into a cheetah-like shape to dash into enemies. Although he thought it looked cool and considered asking her to teach him how to do it, it became apparent to Gueira that she couldn’t see out of the armor in that state, with how often she’d bolt past Ymir when practicing. Ymir, meanwhile, had been eager to practice close combat, even having fun jumping out of Yza’s way whenever she attempted to charge at her.

“We’ve been going at it for hours,” Gueira said as he watched the others, having taken off his armor to conserve energy. “Nahalina’s improving with the bike. Same with Sasha and her armor.” He looked at Meis. “Think they’re ready?”

Meis looked up at the steadily darkening night, also now void of armor. The sun had already begun to set, yet there was still enough light for them to see. “We don’t have much of a choice either way. The more time we give the Freeze Force to anticipate an attack, the more time they have to prepare. We’re losing daylight too.”

“You really think they’d expect us to try and storm wherever they’re holding everyone?”

“No clue,” Meis admitted with a shrug. “But I think for something like this, the sooner the better. Who knows what they’re doing to the others...” 

Gueira nodded in turn, trying to push the memory of rumors on Burnish experimentation to the back of his mind. “I’ll round everybody up, then.” He faced the group again and sharply whistled, catching their attention. “ALL RIGHT!! I think we’re as ready as we can be for this! Everyone back here! Let’s go, let’s hustle!”

Within minutes, everyone had assembled. Gueira studied the looks on their faces intently. Some of the younger members were evidently more nervous about the upcoming mission, he noted. Despite showing energy earlier, Adaluna was now twiddling her thumbs and Sasha still hung at the back of the group, apparently anxious about everything going on. Meanwhile, some of the older members such as Yza looked like they were ready to jump into the fray already.

“We’re all here…” Meis muttered, eyes trailing to the ground and hair falling over his face. He looked at Gueira expectedly. “Well? Have you got any words to say?”

“What, me?” He paused, taking in the looks on everyone’s faces as they turned attention to him. He always did hate giving presentations, but something about having to improvise a speech without warning somehow made it not as bad. “Uh… right!! Everyone!! You’ve all made great progress this afternoon. We may not be the most prepared team in the world… but this is the best shot we have to get everyone back. I know we all just met a while ago. But this whole afternoon showed me-- showed us-- that we  _ can  _ come together as Burnish and fight back against those bastards who… who…”

“Mistreat our people,” Meis finished. He swept his hair behind his ear and stepped forward, arms folded. “We aren’t going to stand by and let this happen any longer. Today we’re fighting back for them. For you to volunteer to help us get your friends and family back… Thank you.”

Gueira grinned as some smiles spread on the others’ faces. “We should be thanking you here,” Rach spoke up. “We couldn’t hold our ground against them under the circumstances. Those Freeze Force soldiers fight dirty… But we’ll do what it takes to save our people.”

“Yeah,” Gueira nodded. He felt a burning sensation gathering in his chest again, a now-all-too-familiar feeling to him. He looked over to Meis, who hid a growing smile past the strands of hair covering his face, and felt the heat inside him grow. It was easy to tell Meis was feeling the same thing from the warm smile on his face. “Then let’s get out there and  _ fight!! _ ”

Without thinking, he and Meis both raised their hands, fingers poised.

_ Snap. _

Upon doing so, an inferno suddenly sprang from seemingly nowhere, engulfing all eight of the present Burnish and the space around them. A chorus of screams erupted, a sound that would’ve haunted Gueira if not for the euphoria seeped into their voices. Though he strained to see clearly, he could make out everyone grinning through the field of Burnish flames overwhelming them all. As he bathed in the heat sweeping around them, his own grin stayed on his face, the flames engulfing him and morphing back into his armor.

“The hell’s going on…?!” Meis shouted, grinning almost maniacally as he similarly donned his armor, breaking through the flames and standing tall and proud. “It’s all burning… I can’t get enough…!!”

“I don’t know, but now I’m  _ really  _ feeling pumped!!” Gueira laughed, now sitting atop his ATV once more. Around him, the other Burnish were laughing, all armored and revving their rides as well. “ALL RIGHT!! LET’S MOVE OUT!! Nahalina, point us the right way!!”

“Right!” The purple-haired girl turned her bike to the right direction and pointed. “Straight, that way!”

With a cheerful shout, Gueira throttled his ride, with Meis beside him as they both led the group across the spanning wasteland. Behind them, trails of fire were left blazing as the rest of the group followed, whooping and cheering like the rest of the Mad Burnish had been cheering in Dallas just the other day.

\--

The wasteland seemed to zip past at the speed the group traveled. For a good portion of the ride, Gueira noted the way Meis favored zipping around on his bike, sometimes overtaking him only to cross his path and slow down enough for Gueira to take the full lead again. There was little doubt in his mind that Meis was practicing his part of the upcoming plan. Maybe he was even having fun with his new bike.

As Meis rode alongside Gueira again, Gueira shouted over the wind to him. “Meis, you sure you’re ready for this?!”

“As ready as I can be!” he shouted back. “I should be asking you that, though. You’re the one who’ll be doing the heavy lifting.”

Gueira scoffed. “‘Course I’m ready!! Can’t you feel all the heat in the air?! I can hardly contain myself!”

“I think we all feel it…” Meis mused. “Though I will admit, I’m a little anxious about this plan.” In the distance, a pristinely-white building came into view, with tall concrete walls surrounding it and reminding Gueira of the prison just miles away. The group came to a slowing stop as Meis continued. “Any amount of wrong moves could spell our imprisonment too. Or worse.”

Gueira cackled and slapped Meis’ shoulder, earning him a startled grunt. “Then we’ll just have to not mess up!!” He turned back to the group, who patiently awaited orders. 

“From here it looks like a prison,” Meis noted, looking straight ahead. “Tall walls, and I’m guessing they should have defensive measures in place.” He looked Gueira, who nodded in understanding. “So the plan we came up with should be able to work.”

“Right. Everyone remembers the plan, right?! Divi up and get into formation, we’re close to showtime!”

They had gone over the plan hours prior to training, yet Gueira had to relay the scenes in his mind over and over again. They only had a few guesses to what the holding facility would look like, but from what they could see, one of the possible plans Meis came up with would work just fine.

As the bikers behind them moved into position, some chattering excitedly and/or anxiously, Meis caught Gueira’s attention again with a tap on the arm. “Gueira.”

“Yeah?”

In case we don’t make it out of this…”

His hand was lingering, almost hovering over the armor on his arm. “Yeah…?”

“... Thank you.” His hand placed itself on Gueira’s arm, a sensation Gueira could almost feel through his armor. “For everything. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“That’s what you wanna say…?” Gueira muttered. “You make it sound like we’re all gonna die or some shit. Lighten up, will ya?” He hoped Meis could see his grin through the helmet. 

“...” Meis suddenly shoved off his arm, balancing his bike as Adaluna, Nahalina, and Sasha rolled up behind him. “Don’t be reckless. Be safe. And don’t hesitate to signal for help if you need it.”

Gueira nodded again as Yza, Ymir, and Rach took formation behind him too. “Right. That goes for you too!” He straightened the wheels on his ATV. “LET’S DO THIS!!”

Once more, their vehicles revved as all eight of them rocketed towards the facility in the distance…

… and subsequently split into two groups at the fall of the first ice missile onto the ground. As they got closer and closer to the building and its walls decorated with turrets, four Freeze Force tanks began to rise within the confines, some already firing missiles before they even ascended to the right altitude.

Meis’ group veered hard to the side as they came closer to the wall, with Gueira’s group heading the other way. As a barrage of ice bullets fired from two of the tanks, Meis led his group to weave and turn away, and soon they were driving away from the facility, leading away those two tanks the whole way.

_ Just two for each of us, huh?!  _ Gueira thought.

Meanwhile, Gueira and his team stayed close to the wall, driving around its perimeter. The rain of bullets from the wall turrets felt like a hailstorm against their armor, threatening to freeze them bit by bit with every hit. 

“Boss, it’s getting heavy under here!” Ymir called out, trying to keep their bike steady.

“Keep your heat up!!” Gueira ordered. “Remember who you’re doing this for!! Let your anger boil!!”

They continued hugging the perimeter, each Burnish occasionally sending a fireball at the wall in their attempts to disable the turrets. Yet with every launched flare, their hits would either miss or not do enough damage to break the still-firing turrets. It wasn’t until Ymir sent a serpent-shaped steam directly into one of them that any damage was done.

“Do it like that!!” Gueira cried out triumphantly, watching the turret burn up in a smoldering fire. “Keep it up!!”

The two remaining tanks were firing away at them, with one cutting above the facility to cut off their path and trap them. “Ahead of us!!” Gueira cried out as the tank attempted to fire from right in front of them.

_ Checkmate _ .

“YZA, GO!!” A stream of fire was sent flying from his armor’s palm into the ground before curving up, aimed right for the tank. 

“On it!!” In one swift motion, Yza’s hands slammed onto her bike’s handlebars, flames overtaking her as the bike suddenly morphed into the shape of a large cat. Ymir and Rach’s flames joined with hers as her armor dashed on all fours onto the ramp, leaping off at its very edge and forming a flaming spike at its chest just as she plowed into the tank.

A brilliant explosion followed her as she broke through the tank in one swift blow, with Gueira’s flames creating yet another ramp to catch Yza as she shakily tried to land. She cried out, however, as her armor’s feet fumbled upon landing on the steep incline, sending her tumbling down just as the other remaining tank burst through the smoke from the explosion, shooting at her as she fell.

“Shit!! She’s down!!” Rach cried out.

“Dammit!! You two, distract them!!” 

He barely caught Rach and Ymir’s nods as they turned back, weaving past and around bullets and missiles as they shot back at the tank. Gueira’s ATV steered into a hard left, screeching as it turned around before charging right back at the tank. With a fireball charged in his hand, he launched it upwards at the tank as he drove back and snatched Yza off the ground, the intense heat surrounding him already doing its job to melt the ice on her.

\--

“Keep going, get these bastards away from the facility as far as we can go!” Meis commanded as he sped ahead of his team. “Weave in and out, don’t slow down!!” He heard Sasha yelp somewhere behind him.

“Boss, it’s getting intense!!” she cried out as she and the other two girls maneuvered around growing ice pillars far off to the side.

“Spread out, don’t let them get a read on you!” Meis ordered. He kicked his bike into full throttle, steering into a serpentine motion and sending a stream of fire behind him in blind hopes of hitting the tanks behind.

An explosion in the distance, following the one from minutes before, caught Meis’ attention.  _ They took down the other one…!  _

A cry from Adaluna caught his attention just as quickly. Turning his head, he caught a glimpse of her tumbling off her half-frozen bike, only to be immediately snatched up by Nahalina just before an ice missile could claim her. Meis steered his bike alongside Sasha, who looked at him with concern through her visor.

“What do we do?!” she asked hurriedly as Meis guided her into turning towards the two tanks.

“Switch to an offensive!” he pointed at one of the tanks while the other one kept busy with trying to catch up to Nahalina. With a nod from Sasha, they both sent a stream of flames directed at their target, only causing it to sway in the air.

“It isn’t enough!!” Sasha said.

“Boost me!”

“How--” She barely had time to get a question out as Meis rode ahead of her. Thankfully, she seemed to understand the intent of his command, sending another, larger stream of fire along the ground for Meis to jump onto. Although it didn’t curve up like the way Gueira did his, it was still enough height for Meis to jump off his bike and stab his limbs into the aircraft just like before.

Except this time he had stabbed his limbs into the ship, they pierced right through the windshield of the cockpit. 

Through the tinted, thickly-layered windshield, Meis could see the soldier piloting the tank staring right back at him, reaching for his belt. It took a split second for Meis to realize they were reaching for a gun.

_ BANG! _

“Argh--!!” He recoiled as his chest was blasted, already starting to numb even under his armor. In response, the heat within his armor’s space intensified, spreading out from his armor and into the cockpit itself, lighting the control panel on fire.

He could hear the soldier screaming now as they raised their gun to Meis’ face. Without thinking, Meis reared his arm back and stabbed his bladed arm through the windshield again, flames collected in its sharp edges as his arm suddenly pierced right through the soldier’s chest.

** **

Meis’ eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of the soldier’s face, an expression twisted in shock and pain, through their helmet’s visor.

** **

The aircraft suddenly swerved to the side, lurching along with the bleeding soldier’s body as Meis yanked his arm out of their chest. His head spun as the tank suddenly crashed into something, which he soon realized was the other tank. Through his sudden heavy breathing and the loud heartbeat pounding in his head, he pushed backwards, blindly leaping back from the cockpit and landing into a rough slide on the ground (how he managed to stay upright, he had no idea).

He watched as the first tank dragged down the other tank, which evidently was trying to keep itself aloft under all the weight. As both ships crashed into the ground, Meis found himself standing still, only raising his blood-coated arm in defense as both ships went down in flames, exploding into debris.

“Boss!!” Sasha came over on her bike along with Adaluna and Nahalina. “Are you okay…?!”

He could see her eyes glance at his arm, the blood on it evaporating from the sheer heat of his armor. “... We need to move. Back to the facility.” The flames at his feet collected and gathered to form the shape of his bike again. 

“Yer not injured, are you?” Nahalina asked.

“I’m fine.” He jumped on and rolled forward, hoping none of the girls caught sight of the look on his face. “Let’s go!! We need to help them get inside!!”

\--

With the other tank guarding the facility now obliterated like the first, Gueira and his team had gotten to work taking care of the turrets on the sides of the wall. It had taken a while to find a good strategy of attack, but Gueira figured he had it all planned out by the time they took out their fourth of fifth turret on the side where they planned on jumping in. 

With Yza and Rach drawing away the turrets fire, Gueira and Ymir took charge of attacking the turrets head-on. Every fireball launched seemed to only chip away at the evidently heat-resistant turrets, but with enough hits they’d be rendered disabled and unable to fire.

The sound of approaching motorbikes caught Gueira’s attention, turning his head away from the smoldering walls and towards Meis and his team rapidly approaching the facility once again. Around him, he could hear some of his own teammates whooping and cheering at the sight.

“Everyone get ready!!” Gueira commanded. “Keep the turrets and soldiers busy out here!!”

“Got it, Boss!!” Ymir called back. “Be safe!!”

With a nod, Gueira drove away from the facility at the highest speed he could manage, before curving into a U-turn and driving alongside Meis. “That was fast! Made quick work of those bastards, huh?!”

Meis simply nodded. They were approaching the holding facility once more. Both he and Gueira ducked their heads down, leaning forward with hands gripping their handlebars as they drove ahead of Meis’ team. “Girls, NOW!!”

“RIGHT!!” At once, all three of his team members sent streams of Burnish fire along the ground, creating yet another ramp wide enough for Gueira and Meis to jump onto together. Side-by-side, they rode on top, keeping their vehicles steady as the road curved upwards. 

“NOW!!” Meis cried. With one powerful lurch, both of them leaped off at the very edge of the ramp, sailing over the wall.

Being so high up in the air sent the adrenaline in Gueira’s veins through the roof, and it showed in spite of the stakes. “YAHOO!!” he shouted, even as they landed within the confines of the facility with multiple soldiers already gathering and shooting at them. “Think you can take us, huh?! We’ll show you who you’re messing with!!”

He sped down the block towards the building itself, straying off their path to swipe a claw at a row of soldiers shooting at him and Meis. As he swung his arm, a stream of flames behind him mimicked his movement, sweeping through the block and engulfing that part of the courtyard in flames. He cackled, watching the dull gray and white become swallowed in eye-blinding colors once more.

“Gueira!!” Meis caught his attention as they neared the entrance to the building. “Stay focused, remember what we’re here for!” he chided.

“Uh-- right!!” Though a bit disappointed, he followed Meis as they crashed through the doors leading into the facility. They emerged in a pristinely-white hallway, the tiles underneath them catching fire as they sped down the hall. “Okay, so what the hell are we looking for in here?”

“There has to be a place where they’re keeping everyone,” Meis explained. “If this place is meant to hold Burnish… I’m guessing we can’t just brute force our way through here.”

“Tch, of course,” Gueira clicked his tongue. “I mean, we can still try! But whaddaya suppose we do?”

“If pop culture’s taught me anything, there’s gotta be someone with access to where everyone’s being kept.”

“Should we fan out to make this faster?”

“No.”

“No?”

“It’s dangerous here. We’re definitely gonna be outnumbered.” They made a turn down the hall as it became bathed in a flashing red light. “And did you really think I’d let a reckless idiot like you go it alone?”

“Okay, wow, geez,” Gueira scoffed (even if he did  _ kind of  _ appreciate the sentiment). “Let’s track down whatever assholes work here, then!!”

They sped down the halls, lighting them aflame as they kept their eyes trained for anything out of the ordinary. All the while, the high-pitched siren refused to stop blaring in their ears.

“ACTIVATING ANTI-BURNISH MEASURES,” a voice suddenly said through what sounded like an intercom. As if on cue, the walls suddenly started spraying an almost-frothy mist into the halls, instantly chilling the air and nullifying nearly all the flames left behind by the duo.

“Oh shit!!” Gueira screamed as his wheels jammed. “Fuck!!” To his side, Meis was teetering on his bike as he tried to shield himself from the ice. Ice and frost were already accumulating on both their armors, threatening to freeze them solid once more.

“Gueira!!” Meis pointed ahead of them, at a set of double doors just at the end of the hall. “There!!”

“I got this!” Leaning in and speeding up again, Gueira braced himself as he felt his armor collide with the doors, bursting through them but suddenly flying through the air as Meis followed behind, finally stopping his bike. Gueira picked himself off the ground, shaking the ice off him like a wet dog before letting his armor heat up and melt the rest of it off. “Ow…”

“What is this room…?” Meis asked as he looked around. They seemed to be in a theater of sorts, with rows of chairs overlooking a room down below, partitioned with a glass window. As Gueira joined Meis in gazing down at the room a level below them, he noticed racks and tables of what looked like operating equipment. At the very center of the lower room was a single bed with multiple lights focused on it. “It’s like one of those operating rooms you see in movies. And this is like, those places where people can watch the operation.”

“I think that  _ is  _ what it is,” Meis said.

“This is supposed to be a holding facility though, isn’t it?”

Meis stared at the room below. It took Gueira a second to notice the splatter of dried blood on the floor next to the bed. “... I’m not sure if this is  _ just  _ a holding facility for Burnish, Gueira…”

Their thoughts were interrupted by the thundering of footsteps approaching the room.

“Meis, they’re coming!” Gueira said.

“Then we’re going down!!” With one heavy swing, Meis shattered the glass partition with his arm, pulling Gueira down with him as they dropped down into the operating room below. Above them, Freeze Force soldiers had already burst into the room. It didn’t take long for one to call attention to the broken window, at which point Gueira and Meis had already re-summoned their vehicles to blaze down the new hallway ahead of them once more.

“The hell are we now?!” Gueira asked aloud as they suddenly found themselves in a much darker hallway with tinged green walls. The floors were no longer tile, but now concrete, as if they were in a pound for dogs. Any moment now, Gueira expected to hear barking or otherwise shouting, some kind of noise to hammer in the unsettling atmosphere. Instead, besides the revving of his and Meis’ rides and the shouting behind them, they couldn’t hear anything else.

The sound of gunfire as they felt ice bullets pelt the back of their armor caught their attention soon enough, though. Within the confines of the hallway, there was little room to maneuver and weave through. At the end of the hall, however, was a split leading left and right.

“Split up, Gueira!” 

“Huh?! I thought you said--” 

“There’s no time, go!!”

With the end of the hallway coming in fast, Gueira could do nothing but heed Meis’ order, veering hard into the left while Meis turned right. Without looking back, Gueira sent multiple blasts and streams of fire behind him, hoping they’d hit the soldiers at his back. Amongst the sizzling of ice bullets hitting his fire, he heard cries and shouts as soldiers were hit. Satisfied with the dying sound of guns firing, he continued forward.

\--

_ What happened to all the guns on the walls…? _

For a building that had just been clearly breached, the hallways seemed empty and quiet even as Gueira rode down the long corridor. Any moment he expected the walls to spout more ice at him. He slowed down just a little to look around him. The walls appeared to have nozzles sticking out of them, but none of them seemed active. He looked behind him as he continued to drive. Nobody was coming for him. At least, not yet. 

_ I hope Meis is okay, at least… _ he thought to himself.  _ They better not think he’s an easy target… But where the hell is everyone…? _

“--!!” His vision suddenly blurred as the familiar sensation of pounding in his head returned. With a groan, he slowed down completely, taking a moment to hold his head in his hands. It was the same feeling as back in Dallas, right before the Mad Burnish appeared to him and Meis for the first time…    
Except this time, he swore he could hear screaming. Not just one or two people, but a chorus of screams. Not screams like when he and the other Burnish burst into energizing flames, but screams of agony and horror.

He had a feeling bad things happened in this hallway.

He looked around, eyes falling on the doors spaced far apart from each other within the corridor. As his eyes focused on one particular door, he found himself disassembling his ATV before lumbering over to it, trying to shake the dizziness away.

From outside the door, he could hear someone inside, shushing someone else. 

Though he couldn’t think entirely clearly, he found himself banging a giant fist on the doorway. Immediately, he heard someone scream a high-pitched scream, followed by more shushing, louder this time. 

“Who’s in there?!” Gueira demanded, banging the door again multiple times. The scream from before grew into a chorus of more screams.  _ Children’s  _ screams. With one last angry shout, Gueira’s fist collided with the door, knocking it down and lighting the doorframe aflame.

_ BANG! BANG! BANG! _

“STAY BACK!!” Suddenly Gueira’s chest armor was covered in a thin layer of ice as a young man started firing at him. He wore a white lab coat, with long black hair tied back in a messy ponytail.

Though astonished by the sudden attack, Gueira was unfazed until he saw the group of children standing behind them.

Children with wrists bound by ice and faces filled with terror.

_ BANG! BANG! BANG! _

Gueira cried out as the man fired again at him, this time coating his shoulder in ice. “WHY YOU--!!” Without thinking, he sent a stream of fire from his hand and into the small room.

** **

The sound of the man’s screaming plunged Gueira’s heart into a deeper chill than the icy bullets.

** **

He tried to take his mind off it, only reminded of the other screams he’d heard the last couple of weeks. They all started to sound the same to him, but that didn’t make the sound any less horrifying to listen to. 

The children were screaming too now, running away from the now-burning man frantically trying to put out the flames licking at his coat as he backed into the corner and fired wildly at all the flames around him.

“Monster!!” one girl with a bow in her hair cried as Gueira followed them to the other side of the room. “Don’t hurt us!!”

“Momma!!” another boy sobbed, cowering.

“I’m not gonna hurt you!!” Gueira tried to say, taking a few cautious steps forward. The children, a group of four grade-schoolers, backed away, with one girl with a braid standing in front of them protectively even with bound hands. “I’m here to free you!!” Gueira insisted, reaching out to the girl in front. “Hey, it’s okay, see? I’m Burnish!”

“No, don’t hurt them!!” she cried out as she swung her bound hands at him uselessly. Though he didn’t want to startle her any more, Gueira grabbed the ice cuffs on her without thinking. She screamed, whimpering in a way that plunged Gueira into further guilt until she stopped struggling. She looked down at her hands in mixed emotions, from fear to astonishment to amazement, as he melted the cuffs off her.

“I’m not gonna hurt you,” Gueira insisted again, leaning his head closer so she can see his face past his helmet. “You’re Burnish kids, right? That man was hurting you?” One of the other kids behind the braided girl nodded, prompting his friends to nod too.

“You… You look like our friends...” the boy with an eyepatch said.

“You’re from Ymir’s group, right? I’m one of you, see?” He took a moment to summon a flame in his hand. The girl mimicked his movement, opening her palm and letting the fire dance in her hand. “Yeah, see?! I’ll get you outta here! Okay? I’ll take you home, I promise! You just have to trust me on this!” He held empty hands out to the rest of the kids, who exchanged glances nervously.

When the braided-haired girl nodded confidently, they all stepped forward nervously, holding their arms out.

\--

Meis sent a final stream of fire behind him at the remaining soldiers pursuing him as he continued down the long corridor he ended up in. He did his best to ignore their cries and melt off the ice on his back as the bullet hail finally died out long behind him.

All the while, the image of that soldier in the flying tank refused to leave his mind.

It was the first time he’d really gotten a good look at the enemy;s face, seeing them as human rather than intimidating soldiers in armor.

He braced himself as he burst through a set of double doors, emerging in yet another corridor with a high ceiling and once-more pristine, white walls. Lights were already flashing and sirens were already blaring, ice sweeping the area in such a high density that it took all of Meis’ focus to keep from freezing up.

The sudden screaming in his head distracted him from the numbing sensation around him. Something about it fueled his flames even more with anger for which he didn’t know the exact source of.

Though he was already shivering in his armor, he managed to spot some of the nozzles in the walls that spewed ice everywhere. With two well-aimed streams of fire from his shoulder limbs, the nozzles were suddenly nullified and disabled, bursting into flames.

With another grunt, he sent another wave of flames through the corridor, which he could now see was lined with doors everywhere. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of stairs leading to an additional level with even more doors. They were heavily-reinforced doors, with a clear glass window on each one and some kind of computer panel next to every door. As the lights kept flashing, Meis made his way through the corridor, peering into each room to find a person in each of them. Some were huddled into the corners of their room, cowering in fear. Others were lying in their cots or on the floor, covering their ears. 

He spotted someone with green, stringy hair looking out the window and immediately went over to the door.

“Ravio?!” Meis called inside.

“Meis!!” For once, the older man looked happy as he immediately came over, voice muffled through the door. “Meis, is that you?!”

“It is!! This is where everybody’s being kept?! What’s going on?!”

“I think Leonix is causing a scene!” Ravio explained frantically. “Either that or everything’s flashing ‘cause of you!”

“Leonix? Where are the others?”

“I don’t know, we all got separated! But he got taken outta his cell, wouldn’t stop struggling the whole time!”

Meis stepped back, surveying the door in front of him. “Stand back, I’ll break you out!” He reared one of his bladed arms back.

Ravio’s eyes widened, his head shaking frantically. “Wait, nonono--!!”

The moment Meis’ blade collided with the door, bouncing off ineffectively, the room on the other side immediately whited out in mist. When it cleared moments later, Ravio was on the floor, partially-frozen. “Ravio!!”

The banging on another door behind Meis suddenly caught his attention. He spun around to find Andrei there, banging their fist on the door of their cell. Meis looked back at Ravio one last time apologetically before hurrying over. 

“Kid!!” Andrei shouted from behind the door. “Kid, go find the head of this place! He has a keycard that should let us go!”

“Keycard?” Meis echoed. “Who’s the head?”

“Guy with white hair and glasses! They took Leonix outta his cell just before everything went to Hell. You gotta find him before something bad happens! They experiment on Burnish here!” They pointed to the other end of the corridor. “They went out through there, probably to the lower level.”

“Right!” With a clear target in mind, Meis hopped back on his bike, taking one last quick look at all the cell doors decorating the hallway before speeding off and crashing through the other set of doors on the other side of the hall.

\--

“Everybody hold tight and don’t let go!!” Gueira yelled as he launched yet another fireball at the incoming wave of soldiers. He hadn’t anticipated such a huge wave to suddenly find him in the amount of time it took for him to melt the cuffs off the other children and guide them out (making sure to avoid looking at the worker still in the corner).

With all four kids loosely secured to the back of his ATV, he had limited options in terms of taking care of the soldiers slowly but steadily coming at him with guns firing. As much as possible, he kept his armor up as a shield for the children cowering behind him. 

Although the braided girl was trying to contribute, launching tiny fireball after fireball. “Stay back!!” she growled. “Don’t you come any clo--” She suddenly yelped as an ice bullet ricocheted off the floor and nearly hit her.

Gueira’s eyes widened. “Stay back, kid!!” He grunted as a piece of his armor flew off at the chest. With one hand covering his exposed body, he fired back, trying to keep his shots accurate and fast.

He caught a quick glimpse of one soldier trying to shoot at the girl behind him, and his arm just barely had enough time to block the next shot, collecting ice on his wrist. With a feral growl, he hurled a fireball at the soldier in return, the flames fragging like a grenade into the other soldiers.

“COWARDS!!” Gueira screamed, voice dipped in anger. “YOU’RE GONNA BRING THE KIDS INTO THIS, HUH?!” His anger reached its peak, and he could feel flames gathering behind him as he launched a spire of fire at the incoming soldiers, one large enough to engulf the entire hallway.

“So strong…” he faintly heard one of the kids behind him murmur in awe.

\--

All Meis found on the other side of the door that Andrei pointed him to was an elevator. He clicked his tongue as he immediately realized it was keycard-activated, indicated by the monitor on the wall. He heard shouting far behind him, no doubt traveling down the corridor of cells he had just been in. Growling in frustration, he forced his bladed arm through the split between the elevator doors, prying them open with just a little effort.

He peered up into the elevator shaft and took a deep breath before jumping in, stabbing an arm into one of the walls and the other into the other side. He exhaled as his legs followed suit, and soon he was climbing down the shaft. It took a few moments to adjust to the awkward positioning, but soon he fell into a rhythm of carefully climbing down with one arm, then the other, followed by one leg, then the other.

He cringed as heard the elevator car above him starting to descend. Just below him, he could see the lower floor’s doors. Quickly scurrying down the wall, he managed to lift his armored self up and pry the doors open just as the car above him stopped at the level he was just on. Breathing a sigh of relief, he landed firmly on the ground of the new floor.

Just as he did so, he felt a familiar surge of dizziness race through his head. He nearly stumbled over with a gasp as he tried to clutch his head through his armor. Why did he suddenly feel so tired--

Screaming. He was hearing screaming everywhere around him again, even clearer than when he entered the corridor of holding cells.

It sounded more like a memory of screaming playing on loop in his head, but it sounded real and present nonetheless.

Furiously, he shook his head, and suddenly it was mostly quiet again. Mostly, as down the hall he could hear someone screaming from behind yet another set of double doors, this time guarded by two soldiers who were already taking aim at Meis.

With wide eyes, Meis summoned his bike again, already gathering heat in his armor and firing streams of fire as he rode down the hall. He felt the dizziness in his head grow just as the angry heat inside of him did, especially as he plowed right through the doors at the end of the hall, taking out both soldiers in doing so.

He stood there, sliding to a stop on his bike, to find a white-haired scientist and his team looming over a half-conscious Leonix on an operating table.

\--

“Meis?! Meis, are you out here?!” Gueira called as he continued down the hallway he last remembered seeing him. The hallways were absolutely trashed, partly on fire and partly covered in icy patches along the floors and walls.

“Meis!” one of the kids clinging to his back, the boy with the eyepatch, joined in. “Where are you?”

“It’s okay kid, I’ll take care of all the adult stuff, okay?” Gueira said as they passed through a doorway that had evidently been blown through by Meis before. “MEIS?! WHERE ARE YOU?!”

He suddenly began to worry. Just how far could have Meis gone on ahead? There was no doubt he had a strong flame, but even that reassurance wasn’t enough to quell the worry settling in Gueira’s head.

It was so typical of him to change his mind on a whim like that, deciding it was better to split up. Gueira scoffed to himself. He was glad he hadn’t made any dumb decisions in Meis’ absence, but it still didn’t feel right to be away from him like this.

He was riding down a white corridor lined with multiple cell doors now. Imprisonment cells? He heard banging on one of the doors and immediately sped over. “Who’s there?!”

“Gueira!!” Andrei yelled through the door. “Gueira, go follow Meis! He went through the door down the hall!!”

“What?! What’s he doing now?!”  _ At least he’s okay! _

“He needs to get the key to free the rest of us!” they hurriedly explained.

“Okay, okay, got it, I’ll foll-- hold on!! I got kids here, what am I supposed to do with them?!”

“Kids?!” On cue, Gueira turned his ATV, revealing the kids now clinging to his back and haphazardly hanging off his ride. “Where the heck did you find--” Though slight, he saw Andrei’s eyes widen, their jaw falling slack as they saw the group of children. “B… Bianca?”

The braided-haired girl gasped. “Momma?”

Andrei’s eyes quickly darted from Gueira to the door before narrowing. “Gueira, on the count of three, I need you to try and pull this door off its hinges. You hear me?! Pull it, don’t push! But wait until three to touch the door!”

“Huh?! Okay!” He prepared his hands to grab the door, repeating the instructions in his head.

“One… two…” Inside the room, the floor around their feet suddenly burst into flames, causing an alarm to sound and icy mist to flood into the room. They let out a startled scream as their armor formed around them.

“Andrei--!!”

“THREE!!” In one powerful lunge, they pushed forward into the door just as Gueira grabbed it from the outside and pulled. With a yelp, Andrei fell out, struggling to get the ice off of them as they stumbled to their feet.

The sound of soldiers coming down the hall echoed into the corridor as Gueira helped them up.

“Gueira, I’ll take care of these next soldiers,” Andrei said. “Leave the kiddos to me! You go downstairs and help Meis out!!”

He opened his mouth to say something, only to look down and see the kids already climbing down his ATV and staying behind Andrei. “Okay, but you better be careful!” he warned, hopping on and speeding down the hall to the elevator. “Those kids get hurt, I’m gonna kick your a-- butt next!!”

“Just go, dammit!!”

\--

“What the fuck’s going on here…?!” Meis demanded, poised to attack even as two of the three scientists suddenly pulled guns off the holsters on their belts. He turned his attention back to Leonix, who lay limply on the operating table. “Leonix!! Leonix, get up!”

“Hm… now here’s an interesting specimen,” the apparent head scientist, the white-haired man, mused. In his hand he held a syringe, which he placed down on the instrument tray next to him. “Khu hu hu… You Mad Burnish have so much undiscovered potential.”

Meis kept his eyes trained on the two scientists, one with a gun aimed at him and the other aiming at Leonix. He didn’t keep his eyes off them, flinching at even the slightest sudden movements from either of them. “So the rumors are true… You bastards really are experimenting on Burnish…”

“Only for the good of humanity, you have to realize.” He sighed, pushing his glasses up. “And because of our orders, of course.”

“Under who?” He waited for an answer. “ _ Under who?! _ ” he asked, more demandingly. 

“That isn’t going to mean anything to you soon.” The scientist took his own gun, a noticeably larger model, in his hand and pointed it at Meis. “I must say, you’re quite bigger than your friend here. No doubt it must be because of a stronger flame within you. I can’t wait to see what I can pick apart from you.”

Meis’ vision shook as he focused on the gun in the other man’s hands. It took all his willpower not to lunge forward recklessly. “Are you even listening to yourself…? How can you willingly do this to people?”

The scientist chucked. “People? What I’ve experimented on aren’t people. And aren’t you one to talk? Coming in here, killing off soldiers left and right… That’s all you Mad Burnish do, yes? We,” he gestured to his coworkers on either side of him, “are humans, trying to find a way to bring you back, or at least find a…  _ use  _ for you in society. You and your friend? Nothing but monsters who threaten to wipe us all out.”

_ BANG!! _

Meis cried out as something hard hit his arm. Suddenly, it was fully encased in an ice block, much harder to melt than before. He barely had time to erect a wall of flames to shield himself from the incoming shots as he tried to melt off the ice. In mere seconds, the entire room was lit aflame with dancing, colorful flames, fueled by the anger steeped in his heart. 

“What you’re doing is no better than us…!!” he shouted angrily. As if on autopilot, he let himself fire a stream right at one of the scientists off to the side, a horrified scream ringing out from her. 

_ BANG! BANG! _

In the moment he attacked, he felt his leg freeze up, unable to move even as his flame intensified to melt it. Another gunshot rang out, this time striking his torso and breaking off a piece of his armor.

_ Their weapons are too strong…! _

“No better than you…?” the scientist echoed, staying calm as his remaining assistant took to shooting at the stray flames now surrounding them. “You Burnish have razed our cities and towns, claimed lives, all for what? To spread your disease?” He fired his gun, freezing a serpent-like stream Meis sent his way. “You’ll continue to claim innocents. Children, even. But don’t worry, you can still serve humanity should you surrender peacefully.”

“Do you think we  _ want _ this?!” Meis cried out in pain as he felt a bullet hit his exposed hip, numbing it in cold. 

“It sure seems like it.” Another shot hit Meis’ shoulder. “The flames within you… They drive you mad, don’t they? They claim you, stripping you of your humanity. That’s what our research has indicated so far.” As he stepped closer, Meis noticed a growing grin on his face. “Look around you. You’ve already killed my assistants. How many more have you killed? How many more are you going to take away from us?”

Despite the growing desire to simply blast him into oblivion, Meis found himself unable to move, stuck in place as he felt more shots strike him, breaking off his armor bit by bit and replacing them with blocks of ice to cover him. He was kneeling now, torso almost completely exposed and frozen as he stayed stuck in place. The scientist loomed over him with the gun aimed at his head.

“We’re merely fighting back against the plague you’ve laid on us,” he continued, tauntingly smiling down at him. Yet it wavered for a split second. “After everything you Burnish took away from me…” 

“MEIS!!”

Meis’ head turned to the entrance of the room just as the scientist did with wide eyes. Multiple streams of red-hot fire burst into the room, one of them hitting the other assistant and knocking them back into the wall. Leaping back quickly and firing three shots, the scientist’s smile returned fully as Gueira crashed into the room, half of his armor frozen solid already.

“Gueira…!!”

“Oh, another one? This one’s got an even stronger flame.” He confidently strode over to the hulking mass of armor in front of him.

“BASTARD!!” Gueira screamed as he struggled to break free, only to be shot over multiple times, each time covering him in quickly-melting ice. “You’ll pay for this…!! All of this--!!”

“My, my, even our strongest weaponry can’t keep you down for long. Where  _ are  _ the rest of our soldiers? No doubt murdered by your hands…”

_ It still wasn’t fair. This wasn’t his choice. Did he really want to burn everything? _

Despite the restraints keeping him in place, he felt heat pool into his hands.

_ Burnish have always been like this… haven’t they? Burning, destroying… _

His mind raced back to the rows and rows of containment cells just upstairs, to the mechanisms that froze them at the slightest sign of their fire. He thought back to the children mentioned in the others Burnishes’ story. 

His eyes fell on Leonix, still lying with his torso exposed on the operating table just at the back of the room. His arms were twitching, as if trying to wake up from a nightmare. 

_ But it was necessary, wasn’t it? They had no choice. They couldn’t control themselves, not completely. _

Then they fell onto Gueira, helplessly trying to break free as the head scientist seemed to be calling for backup on a device, smile unrelenting throughout as he continuously kept Gueira down. Gueira was screaming now, his head uselessly struggling and trying to break out.

_ But what they’re doing to the Burnish… _

The scientist had his gun aimed at Gueira’s head now.

The ice coating Meis’ arm cracked and broke off as he reared his arm back.

** **

** _They’re the real monsters here._ **

** **

“ARGH--!!”

** **

Meis stood in place, looking up with wide eyes at the man skewered through his arm’s blade. 

** **

Even as blood dripped from the man’s mouth, it stayed frozen in a smile, barely fading as his shaking hands tried to grip onto Meis’ arm.

“What did I tell you…?” he croaked. He was struggling now despite the look on his face, his legs dangling helplessly as the light faded from his eyes. “Murderers… That’s all you Burnish are…”

Meis stayed in place for a moment, before the armor on him collapsed entirely and faded to fiery whispers, leaving him breathing heavily on the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to look up at the man bleeding out in front of him. 

“Meis…!!” A startled gasp and the sound of shattering ice from Gueira’s direction still didn’t get him to look up. “Meis, are you o--” 

He shoved Gueira away from him as he started coughing up what little food he had eaten that day, heaving on the ground with strained breaths. The stench of blood was unbearable now, as was the sight of it spilling into his vision, even as he tried to look away. He felt Gueira’s hand on his back, before feeling his lanky arms wrap around his torso.

He barely even registered being helped to his feet when he was done, as his vision blurred and the world seemed to spin around him even as the heat of the flames around them intensified. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gueira helping Leonix up next, the latter groggily starting to come to. When Gueira returned with Leonix’s arm around his shoulder, he shook Meis back to reality.

“Meis, are you good?” he asked, worry clear in his eyes. “We can’t stay here.”

Meis swallowed, trying to ignore the awful taste in his mouth so he could focus on the task at hand. “Keycard,” he mumbled.

“What?”

“The keycard… on the head scientist…”

Gueira thankfully picked up immediately, handing Leonix over to Meis for support as he bent down to search the scientist’s coat. He sprung back into Meis’ view with a plastic card in hand and handed it over as he took Leonix back. “Got it. Are you gonna be okay? Can you walk?”

“Of course I can...” Meis said after a moment, already heading for the door and trying to straighten up. “Let’s… Let’s go, there might be more soldiers returning.”

\--

“Wha… What’s going on…?” Leonix mumbled as the trio stumbled into the elevator. He shook his head, holding it with a groan. “Gueira… Meis…?”

“We’re busting you all outta here,” Gueira said, letting go of him as he allowed the older Burnish to steady himself on his own two feet. “We took care of the scientists.”

A look of shock spread across Leonix’s face as he began to realize what was going on. “Wait… you two broke in here by yourselves?!”

“We had help,” Meis simply said as they ascended to the next floor up. The sound of fighting and shouting intensified as the elevator doors opened. Down the corridor, Andrei was fighting back against a squadron of soldiers now guarding the opposite end of the hall. However, now they weren’t alone, with other Burnish on bikes fighting back from their positions on the upper levels, launching fireballs back at the troops. 

“They made it inside!” Gueira said with a grin. 

One of the bikers looked down at the trio from above, lifting her helmet. It was Sasha. “Boss!! We took care of everything outside! What’s next?”

Leonix looked between Gueira and Meis in bewilderment. “Uh—“

“We’ve got the key to release everyone!” Meis called back. 

“Where’re the kids from before?!” Gueira asked. 

“Ymir’s keeping watch on them, don’t worry!” She pointed to a platform on her level with a computer monitor on it. “I think that’s the terminal for all the cells!”

“Then do us this favor and do the honors,” Meis said, throwing the card over to her to catch. With a nod, she sped off down the runway. With that taken care of, Meis turned to Gueira and Leonix, a hand raised with fingers poised to snap. “Let’s help Andrei out.”

Gueira nodded and raised his hand too.

_ Snap. _

Flames collected at their feet in a sudden burst of energy, transforming into their armor. Once more they felt a rush of energy surge through them, revitalizing them and clearing away the aches and pains they’d accumulated during their time there. Gueira eagerly pounded his fists together with a confident laugh while Meis prepared to run forward, fire collecting around his arms’ blades.

Leonix meanwhile stood there dumbly for a moment, still apparently shaking off the effects of whatever the scientists had done to him even as Gueira launched a fireball back at the soldiers. Meis, meanwhile, leapt in to keep the soldiers from coming any closer Andrei. Andrei meanwhile swung around a blade attached to a chain created from their flames, before sweeping it across the floor to trip the soldiers.

Around them, the hissing of multiple cell doors opening only added to the chaos as some of the Burnish stumbled out, with others staying behind to wait out the fight. Ravio was one of the Burnish to stumble out, summoning his own armor as soon as he was free and dashing into the crowd of soldiers to attack head-on. As soon as there was an opening to attack, Leonix leapt in from above, helping by adding onto the fireballs Gueira launched at the opposition. 

A sudden explosion from behind the Freeze Force soldiers blew them forward into the corridor. As Meis kicked a soldier back, he could make out some of the other Burnish from outside fighting back, in particular Rach and Yza leaping in on their bikes from the new hole where the doors once were. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Nahalina and Adaluna slipping through and calling out for what he presumed to be their friends, helping other Burnish out of their cells along the way. 

Gueira shouted again as his fist slammed into one of the soldier’s sides, knocking them into the wall while Meis blasted an incoming soldier at his back. As one soldier rushed in to attack Meis, he swung his arm in a short arc, blocking him long enough for Gueira to swing a fist into their side, before grabbing another soldier and slamming them on the ground. The Burnish flames had spread everywhere now, and the soldiers’ bullets did little to quell the fire as the inferno only grew. 

“It’s all burning up…!!” Gueira yelled over the noise. “Meis, you good?!”

“As good as I can be!” Meis nodded affirmatively as he kept a soldier away from Gueira with a swift kick. “I think we ought to blow this pop stand…”

“At this rate, it’s not like we have a choice! Leonix!!” Gueira turned to find Leonix bashing his helmet against a soldier on the wall before turning to Gueira. “Can you lead the rest of the Burnish outta here?!”

“Ah-- I can do my best! Just tell me how!”

“Give a ride to the other Burnish!” Meis followed up, ducking under Gueira’s punch as he struck someone else. “Mad Burnish! Guide all the other Burnish out!!”

The sound of bikes revving filled the air, as did the sound of Burnish people shouting to each other and getting on the Mad Burnishes’ rides. 

“Gueira!” Meis sat atop his own bike, already headed for the corridor’s exit. “Follow me!”

“Coming!” In seconds, Gueira was bolting out with Meis on his own ride, knocking a few more soldiers out of the way in the chaos. He followed Meis through winding hallways, leaving scorching trails behind them once again. “Where we goin’?!” His question was answered as they burst into the operation room from before. Without saying anything, Meis guided a stream upwards to the broken glass window above, to the viewing area, for them both to ride up. 

Now that they were on the proper ground level once more, Gueira followed Meis around the halls, joining him in firing at the ice nozzles still present on the walls even as they had stopped spewing icy mist at them. Though they passed the point where they had entered, Gueira continued to follow Meis as they spread their fire everywhere.

“That should do it,” Meis said with satisfaction as they rounded the main hall’s corner yet again. He skidded to a stop and turned with Gueira close behind as they headed for the exit. “Let’s head out!”

“Whoo-hoo!!” Gueira threw a fist into the air as they passed through the exit, emerging in the courtyard and speeding ahead of Meis. “What a rush!!”

Meis, however, stayed quiet. It took a moment for Gueira to notice the fallen tanks and strewn bodies of Freeze Force soldiers around them in the dark of the night, but their silhouettes were clear to him as his eyes adjusted to the otherwise inky blackness around them.

“Meis…?”

“I’m fine.”

“...” They rolled over the toppled gate. “Where are we headed?”

“Back to that prison.” He looked back at the fiery trails their vehicles left behind. “The others should be able to follow shortly.

Gueira nodded, keeping close to Meis’ side as he led the way back to temporary salvation.

\--

“I’m counting like, close to thirty of them,” Gueira said as they looked over the Burnish in the prison courtyard from the building’s entrance. 

Meis nodded, taking out a cigarette and lighting it in his mouth. He took a moment to take a drag out of it before speaking. “Same here. Apparently, some of them weren’t part of the prison group before...”

“You think we got enough rations for everyone?”

Meis turned back to the building behind them. “Ymir told me they’d kept their rations in the cafeteria. Should be enough to last us a little while, but…” He trailed off, sighing deeply. “I had hopes we’d be able to stay here for a while longer… The Freeze Force higher-ups have to have noticed that holding facility burning down. They’re gonna send reinforcements in this area eventually.”

“‘Scuse me.” The two turned to find Leonix coming out from the building, two water bottles held out to them. “Sorry if I’m interrupting…”

“You’re good. Thanks man.” Gueira smiled as he took a bottle from Leonix. “Are you feeling any better?”

“Well, physically, yeah…” He leaned against the wall, looking out at the sun just beginning to ride over the horizon. It occured to Gueira then just how much time had passed just for that breakout. He looked over to Meis as Leonix continued. “They didn’t do anything drastic to me. But… I’ve been thinking a lot.”

“What about?”

“... About my place as ‘leader’ of the Mad Burnish,” he answered, making air quotes with his fingers when he said “leader.” “I was talking to a buncha the other Burnish a while ago. Andrei and Ravio in particular. Long story short, I don’t… think I’m fit to lead anymore.”

Meis took the cigarette out of his mouth, his expression hidden to Gueira. “Can you give long story medium?”

A brief yet sad chuckle escaped Leonix. “Seeing you two lead those other Burnish today… They weren’t even part of our group, but you managed to get them to work together and bust everyone out.”

“They were already talented Burnish before we trained them, though,” Gueira pointed out.

“It ain’t just that, though.” Leonix looked up at the sky. “You were right to be suspicious back then, Meis. If you hadn’t spoken up and stayed behind with Gueira… that would’ve probably been the end of all of us. I was a fool to think it was totally safe.” He drew a shaky breath. “I came  _ this  _ close to getting sliced open, y’know. But you two saved me. You two are something special… so I want to cede leadership to you both.”

“U-Us…?” Gueira stared at him incredulously. “But you’ve been leading--”

“Because nobody else wanted to do it,” Leonix cut him off gently. “I already told Meis, but I don’t know what kinda shit I’m getting everyone else into half the time. But you two? Look at you two… You’re the strongest Burnish we all know. There ain’t any questioning that. Everyone else agrees, even.”

“But…” Meis started.

“Everyone’s goin’ on and on about how brave you two were, taking out soldiers and tanks left and right… Heh, even the kids took a liking to you already. Everyone else already thinks you’re the leaders here. And honestly, I think that ought to be official.”

“But,” Gueira stammered, trying to find the words he wanted to say. “C’mon, man, are you serious? You’ve been leading for way longer. People liked you as leader.”

“I don’t think I can trust myself to lead reliably,” Leonix sadly chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t have the brains or brawns for the job. Gueira, you got more firepower than all of us combined. And you, Meis, are so fast on your feet and in thinking that I swear you had to have been at this for years.” He gave them a weak smile. “I think… I honestly think we’ll be in better hands with you leading us.”

Meis turned to look at Gueira, a look of unease and uncertainty on his face. “Do you really think we can…?”

Gueira blinked, taking a moment to register the question as directed towards him. “I…”

_ Lead the Burnish…? _

“Are you sure about this? I mean… we haven’t even been Burnish for long,” Meis argued. “We’re just… you know…”

Gueira looked down at the courtyard as Meis trailed off. Though it was still dark out, the other Burnish had started little bonfires down there to recuperate after imprisonment. He could make out the shapes of the Burnish children running around, laughing and being free for the first time in likely a long while. He could distinctly see Andrei scooping up one of the girls, their daughter (he was gonna have to ask them for the story there later), into their arms. And it took a moment before he noticed a group of girls, including Adaluna and Nahalina, waving to him. 

He smiled and waved back to them. He barely knew these people, yet they already trusted him and Meis both. “I think… I wanna do what I can to protect them,” he said after a while. “You guys took us in so easily. I wanna return the favor by doing what I can. What say you, Meis?”

“...” Meis looked down at the courtyard similarly. He let smoke trail from his mouth before coming up with the words he wanted to say. “I’m not usually one to lead… but if you’re leading, I’ll follow you.” He brushed the hair out of his face and gave Gueira a warm smile. “Someone’s gotta keep you in check, after all.”

They turned to Leonix as he stood there with an equally warm smile. “Then… I guess it’s settled. Hey, we can even have a ceremony tomorrow to induct you, if you want?”

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Meis said, also standing with Gueira. 

“You wanna be the ones to break the news to them?” Leonix asked.

“Maybe… Maybe later. Or you can do the honors if you really want to. I kinda wanna take a walk around the place.” He paused to cough. “With, uh, Gueira…”

“Ah.” Leonix nodded furiously and stepped out of their way. “Yes, of course! To discuss important new leader stuff, I presume?”

“Something like that… You rest well, Nix,” Meis said as he and Gueira passed him. 

“You too. And… thanks. For everything you’ve done for us.”

\--

Meis’ footsteps echoed within the empty hallway that he and Gueira walked down. Hands shoved in his pockets, he was stuck in a train of deep thought on everything that had happened that day. Things were moving incredibly fast, and now all of a sudden, he and Gueira were in charge of the well-being of close to thirty other Burnish.

He glanced at Gueira, who had hands similarly shoved in his pockets, and wondered what he was thinking. They hadn’t said much of a word to each other since they entered the building.

He couldn’t help but keep his eyes averted. Too many things had happened that day for him to focus on any specific memory. 

For one, all the faces of the people he killed.

The images of that soldier flying the tank, and the scientist… God, the scientist especially. As much as Meis tried to keep that haunting smile out of his mind, he couldn’t bear it. He wanted to erase those images from his mind, replace it with anything. He--

“Hey, Meis?” Gueira suddenly spoke.

“Yeah?” His head was pounding again.

“You wanna sit down? You don’t look so hot.”

Oh. He hadn’t even realized. He certainly felt sick, though thankfully not to the same point as before. “Yeah, that… that sounds good.” They found a place to sit, at the stoop of a staircase. Meis had discarded his cigarette by then, but contemplated lighting another as he sat down.

“A lot on your mind?” Gueira asked.

“Yeah…” He kept his gaze on the floor. 

“Here, I saved this for you.” Gueira handed him a granola bar. When Meis didn’t take it at first, he shook it. “Come on. You need to eat after what happened.”

“Right… thanks.” Meis took it reluctantly, opening it and taking a bite out of it. “… Sorry, that you had to see that.”

“Dude, don’t apologize for that.” Gueira winced. “Seriously, that wasn’t an easy thing to see. You had to do what you had to do.”

“I just feel the need to say sorry, all right?” His voice raised in volume a little, before he realized and leaned back against the wall. “... I just… I don’t know why I’m feeling guilty  _ now  _ of all times… But I just do. And it sucks.”

Gueira nodded in understanding, signalling for Meis to continue.

“That bastard was about to tear into Leonix. It should’ve been easy to kill him but… I didn’t want to.”

“... It’s easy to forget we’re fighting people, right?” Gueira asked. Meis looked at him to find him similarly staring at the floor. “There was this guy watching after those kids. It’s…” He took a deep breath. “It’s way different than fighting back against the soldiers. The ones in armor.”

“Yeah…” Meis sighed. “... I… It’s hard.”

He thought back to what that scientist had said.  _ “After everything you Burnish took away from me…” _

“It’s hard to fight back until you remember that they’re willing to take everything away from you too,” Meis continued. 

“What?”

“It’s kill or be killed now. If we hesitate, it’ll all be over for us. Isn’t that right?”

“... Yeah, I guess so…”

The two sat in silence for a while, with Meis quietly eating the rest of his granola bar (savoring the taste) and Gueira relaxing next to him. After a while had passed, Meis adjusted the way he sat on the stairs, wincing as he felt his body’s complaints against the sudden movement.

“You got hurt from the fight?” Gueira asked, concerned.

Meis inhaled a sharp breath and lifted his shirt to find part of his torso bruised from the impact of the ice bullets hours before. “Guess so.”

“Whaddaya mean, ‘guess so?!’ And you’re calling me reckless…” He scoffed, crossing his arms. 

“As if you didn’t get hurt?”

“Nothing as bad as that,” Gueira argued, eyes fixating on the bruise. “Ugh, at least it didn’t like, leave a hole in you, but…”

“I’ll be fine,” Meis insisted. It did hurt to bend his torso a certain way, but...

“... Can I try something?” Gueira asked as he held a hand out, a flame springing to life already.

“... Go ahead.” Already having an idea on where this was going, Meis leaned his bruised hip towards Gueira as non-awkwardly as he could. He resisted the urge to sigh in relief as Gueira placed the flame over his hip, already removing some of the discoloration on it. 

He could’ve sworn he heard Gueira swallow as the soft pads of his fingers gently brushed on Meis’ hip. Even contact that small radiated heat on Meis’ skin. He hummed as quietly as he could, letting the flame do its work.

“How’d you know something like this would work?” Meis asked with a smile. He instantly regretted asking that in such a manner as Gueira looked away.

Right.

“... I know it’s… a weird time and place to bring it up,” Gueira muttered, “I mean, after all that heavy stuff, but… I was thinking about what Nahalina and Adaluna did back at the cave…”

It was Meis’ turn to swallow. “Uh-huh…”

“And… about…” He trailed off, the red returning to his face. So he  _ was  _ thinking about that too, despite everything else that happened… “You know… yesterday…”

“...” Meis stayed silent, allowing him to continue. 

He honestly didn’t know if he’d rather switch subjects to this after what they just discussed. Was that normal? For two criminal teens to suddenly worry about something so relatively trivial?

“... I wanted to say sorry,” Gueira finally said after a scarily long pause. Meis blinked. “I-I know it was really weird, but I dunno what happened…! But then, when I saw what those girls did, it… kinda made me think that maybe…”

“... That maybe the flames inside us made it happen?”

Gueira looked at him, locking eyes with his and not saying anything at first.

“The scientist back at the facility said something about the flames inside us making us do things…” Meis explained rather hurriedly. “Maybe it…”

“Oh!! Yeah, maybe it made us-- you know!!” He nodded furiously. “Yeah, ‘cause-- why would we have done that anyway?”

Meis nodded slowly, trying not to look Gueira in the eyes again. In a way, it made sense. If the flames inside them were… alive, somehow, or otherwise controlling them subconsciously, and it was possible to share life force or whatever it was like  _ that… _

… and Meis knew that he never would have had the courage to kiss Gueira otherwise.

“The flames make us do things we wouldn’t do if we were human,” Meis muttered, looking down. “I think it makes sense.”

“Yeah!! So...” He took a deep breath. “Look, if… i-if you wanna… forget that it happened, then…”

Meis’ expression softened, though his hair hid his expression as he tried to find something else to look at. “You want to forget it happened?...”

“Yeah… I-I mean, if you want to…” He rubbed his neck and looked away. “... Sorry. I know you’re thinking of more important things. Things are like, really heavy right now. That’s why, if you wanna forget-- just so we get this outta the way… and so we can… stop feeling weird about it...”

“...” Meis studied the look on Gueira’s face carefully, as much as it burned him on the inside to look at him in this state. He kept his eyes away from Meis, his lips tightly pressed as if not knowing what else to say. “... Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

“If you wanna forget it ever happened… then it never happened.”

As much as he wanted to think he didn’t imagine it, he pushed out the idea that Gueira’s shoulders slumped slightly at that. “Y… Yeah, okay. Cool.”

“We do have more important things to talk about,” Meis mumbled, looking down as Gueira finally took his hand off his hip. “... Sorry. That it happened and all that.”

“I am too,” Gueira said quickly. “I mean… no, yeah, I’m sorry.” He exhaled a quick breath and stood as Meis lowered his shirt. He awkwardly raised his hand, as if he were about to pat Meis’ shoulder, but scratched the back of his own head instead. “I think I’ll, uh, go outside for a while.”

“You go on ahead…”

“All right. Cool. I’ll see you later…” He hesitated for a moment, opening his mouth slightly as if to say something else, but turned and left hurriedly.

Meis leaned against the wall as he heard his friend’s footsteps leave, getting farther and farther away with each passing second.

_ So that’s it, then… _

Unknowingly, his hand lingered over where Gueira’s hand had been on his hip. Already, even though the bruise was gone, it felt cold. Empty. The comforting warmth had already faded away, leaving him  _ feeling  _ as alone as he was now.

Maybe it was because he was Burnish now, but he found himself hating the lack of warmth. Especially after everything that had happened.

_ He just wanted to forget it happened. _

He hated the feeling even more as he felt tears slide down his face, dripping onto his shirt.

\--

As Gueira strode across the prison courtyard, he gazed over all the groups and gatherings of Burnish, Burnish who had apparently known each other for a while. His eyes wandered to small, sometimes incomplete family units. He looked over at the original group of Mad Burnish, all five of them talking happily with Leonix presumably telling them with enthusiasm about the new leadership arrangement. He passed by the group of other Burnish who had helped them succeed in the jailbreak a while ago, now occupied with checking for injuries on each other.

Nobody paid him any real mind as he walked past. That was fine by him. He was honestly used to it.

He wished he could’ve done more back there. The discomfort in Meis’ eyes lingered as a fresh image in his mind, along with other images throughout the day. 

That worker he forced into the wall with his fire back when he saved the children. The pained look on Ravio’s face when his cell blasted him with ice. Meis, hunched over and probably close to tears as he avoided looking at the scientist he had pierced a hole through.

Over the course of the last few days, Gueira felt the need to remind himself that he was just a kid still. That he  _ and  _ Meis were just kids, by all accounts.

That week alone had been eventful. It used to be just him and Meis fending for themselves. Now it was him, Meis, and all these people behind him. 

Was he ready for that? Was he ready for this responsibility? He didn’t have a clue.

He didn’t really know if even Meis was ready.

Thoughts about their current problems raced through his mind. Issues on food, on shelter, on the time frame before the Freeze Force would inevitably come for them.

Were they really ready to lead? Maybe he wasn’t, but Meis had much more capability than he did. He always did. He was just the reckless idiot in their friendship (even though he wanted to argue Meis made way more reckless moves as of late). But Meis? He pulled everything together. He kept it all together. Every plan, every risk, was dealt by his hand. If anybody deserved to lead, it was Meis and Meis alone.

… So why did he look so reluctant to take up that offer?

He thought back to that moment. The way Meis looked at him with that warm smile, how he pushed that strand of hair out of his face to address him.

_ “If you’re leading, I’ll follow you.” _

… Why did he keep thinking about that moment? Of all the events to replay in his mind…

It was stupid, Gueira thought. How skewed were his priorities, exactly? So many horrifying things happened and this was what his mind wanted to focus on? Why? Why was it hard to focus more on the task at hand all of a sudden?

His fists clenched and unclenched in his pockets. He kind of wished he was still wearing Meis’ jacket with how cold he suddenly felt as he slipped off on his own to an empty part of the courtyard where nobody else bothered to go. Leaning against the building, he slid into sitting down, looking up as the sky slowly became illuminated by the rising sun.

He wondered if Meis was doing all right back there. A voice inside him suddenly began to scold him for leaving him in that state. Why  _ did  _ he have to leave him like that? He was going through enough of a hard time dealing with all the death on his hands, on top of treating his own injuries.

Gueira sighed shakily. Had he just been dragging Meis into more problems and making the ones he was already facing worse? And then just leaving him alone to deal with it himself… Honestly, what kind of friend was he? The thought of Meis resenting him for his choices and actions wasn’t a new one. It was just a thought he didn’t like to think about.

So he pushed that thought to the back of his mind again for the meantime.

He looked up wistfully at the dawning sky. The memory of what happened just last sunrise started playing on loop in his mind, try as he might to shut that out too.

He suddenly felt bad. 

He didn’t really know the source of it either. 

And try as he might, he couldn’t fight back the sudden and inexplicable surge of tears slipping out of his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And once again, special thanks to my friends for allowing me to use their OC's for this chapter!  
\- Sasha by Bolon  
\- Rach by Paige  
\- Yza by Kiri  
\- Ymir by Gingi  
\- Adaluna and Nahalina by Ramen
> 
> Next time: Potentially a time skip?


	7. Old Flames

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for something different! I hope I managed to keep up the quality with this chapter. ;v; I've got class starting tomorrow, so after this it's very likely that I won't be able to update as frequently. So for the people who have followed this far, thank you for reading! I hope this chapter provides some good feels compared to last one!

Gueira hummed contentedly as he felt the hot water run down his head, soaking his hair and flattening it under the weight of the shower. He let its warmth run over him, a sigh escaping his lips as his hand felt around for the bottle of shampoo. It felt greedy to pump so much of it into his hand, but he figured nobody else was gonna use it when he was done here. Plus, after years of living on the run, a good shower was more than welcome on the rare occasions they found a place like this.

And yes, maybe it was greedy to use up this much hot water too, but anything less than lukewarm, he found, was too cold for his body. _ Oh well, _ he thought. _ It’s not like the people living here are gonna come back, anyway. _

He let the water rinse off his hair, soapy suds washing off and falling to the tile floor. He debated staying there for a while longer, just to enjoy and relax a little more. He shook that idea off along with the last of the shampoo in his hair, making extra sure none was left in his mess of hair as he turned off the shower. There were more important matters to attend to.

The bathroom was absolutely fogged with steam as he stepped out. His eyes wandered around, searching the bathroom counter until his eyes fell on a hairdryer hanging on the wall. With a grin, he swept the wet bangs out of his eyes and walked over to the mirror, wiping some of the steam off the glass with his hand.

He took a moment to look at himself in the mirror, just a towel wrapped around his waist and one hand keeping the sopping wet hair out of his eyes.

His free hand ran itself over the tattoo on his collarbone, and he smiled faintly. It still, amazingly enough, hadn’t worn out over the years.

\-----

_ It had been just a week after Gueira and Meis took up the leader positions for the Burnish group, and for Mad Burnish itself. It hadn’t been entirely easy. Although most of their new Burnish brethren were accepting of the fact, Gueira still felt unsure of himself at times with handling them. The trauma of what had happened not too long ago was still fresh on everybody's minds. Yet like him, they all seemed to want to forget and push the bad memories out of their minds for the time being. _

_ Mostly, it had been Meis planning out living arrangements and escape plans for when the Freeze Force would inevitably come back. Gueira, meanwhile, had taken it upon himself to be more proactive with getting to know the other Burnish and address whatever needs they had. That had mostly consisted of him running back and forth to deliver medical supplies or food or whatever else the Burnish needed, but that was fine by him. He liked the exercise. _

_ “Hey, Gueira,” Andrei called out to him one day from the courtyard. In seconds he was jogging over. “You’re not busy, are you? _

_ “Nah, just doing my rounds,” he said, catching his breath. “Need something?” _

_ “It’s nothing urgent, but…” They looked over to the group of Burnish children playing tag around the courtyard. Though three of them were busying themselves, the braided-haired girl (Bianca, he remembered) was sitting in the shade provided by the prison’s walls. “My girl over there’s been bored for a while… Have you found any, I dunno, other balls or toys or something that she and the other kids might like?” _

_ “Hm…” Gueira thought back to when he and Meis toured around the prison. They’d found some basketballs in the prison’s courtyard, but the kids had evidently grown bored of them quickly (which was, admittedly, a bit aggravating with how few luxuries they could afford). He thought for another moment before an idea finally sprung in his head. “Hang tight, I’ll be right back!” _

_ It took a while, but he finally found Meis talking with some of the other Burnish. He’d been talking to a quiet young teen with glasses when he spotted Gueira running towards him. As Gueira approached, Meis turned to him. “Hey, Gueira,” he greeted. “What’re you running for?” _

_ “Meis! I have a big favor to ask!” _

_ \- _

_ If there was one disadvantage to their new temporary home, it was how large it was and how long it took to get from one place to another. Gueira didn’t mind it, though, and it showed in how much bounce was in his step as he followed Meis to the cell they shared. He found himself rocking back and forth on his heels as he watched Meis rummage through his backpack. _

_ “Here, I’ve only got the one book though…” he said as he handed his manga book to Gueira. “But I think they’ll get more use out of it than I did.” _

_ “I think that’ll be enough to keep them entertained!” Gueira grinned. “I mean, I got a real kick outta just reading one volume in this series when I was little.” _

_ Meis smirked as he stood, watching Gueira flip through the thick book. “Well, if that’s all…” _

_ “Hey, hang on.” He stepped in Meis’ path as he tried to leave. “You should come with me to give it to them.” _

_ “What? I don’t think I need to…” _

_ “Come oooon, man, you should talk to the kids more! You’re always hanging out on your own.” He pouted. “They think you’re way cooler too…” _

_ “Oh, do they?” He raised an eyebrow to go with the smug smirk on his face. _

_ “Yeah! You should come say hi!” _

_ “Well… all right…” _

_ \- _

_ “Here.” Gueira stayed behind Meis as he watched him hand the book over to Bianca. “I… think you’ll like this book.” _

_ The little dark-haired girl looked up, first at the book, then at Meis, then down at the book again. “Oh, thank you,” she said softly as she took the book gently. “... What kinda book is this?” _

_ “It’s manga,” Meis explained, scratching his cheek. “You, uh, have to read from the back of the book.” _

_ The two watched as Bianca flipped through the book carefully. Some of the other kids had come over to investigate what she was looking at, peering over her shoulders to look in awe at the lively illustrations and action scenes. _

_ “It’s about two swordsmen who travel the world,” Meis explained, crouching down and pointing to one of the pages depicting the aforementioned characters. “One of them has power over thunder and lightning, the other over wind.” _

_ “This looks so cool…” Bianca whispered in awe. She looked up at Meis and Gueira, then down at the illustrations again. “You…” _

_ “Hm?” _

_ “You and Gueira kinda look like them,” she said. _

_ “Huh?!” _

_ “Oh yeaaah,” the boy with the eyepatch nodded fervently, pointing at the book. “Mr. Meis’ hair is all long and pretty just like the wind guy!” _

_ “My hair isn’t that long,” Meis muttered, grunting as Gueira crouched into a squat next to him. _

_ “I dunno, Meis,” Gueira mused. “You do kinda remind me of Fujin now that I think about it. You think I can be as strong as Raijin?” _

_ “Well--” _

_ “Whatcha kids lookin’ at?” Andrei asked, also peering over Meis’ shoulder. “Ooh, is that _ Raijin and Fujin _ ?” _

_ “Does everyone know this series…?” Meis mumbled, bemused. _

_ “Mom, don’t they look like Gueira and Meis?” Bianca asked, a sparkle in her eyes. _

_ “Hmmm…” They stepped back and around to get a better view of Gueira and Meis. “... Yeah, I kinda see it, kiddo. If they grew our their hair and got the right clothes... Y’know, they’re missing the tattoos too…” _

_ “I used to think those tattoos were super sick, to be honest,” Gueira said. “With how they like, glow up when they use their powers. You ever wanted to get one, Meis?” _

_ “Oh hel--” He cleared his throat. “Yes. Yeah, honestly. I was gonna get one when I turned 18. Don’t know what it would’ve been, though. Guess it doesn't matter now, though...” _

_ “You knoooow,” Andrei started, “I used to be a tattoo artist… and I remember seeing a tattoo machine inside somewhere in the building…” _

_ Gueira and Meis locked eyes at that. A smile slowly spread on both their faces (Gueira’s was more obvious, however) before they both looked to Andrei. “Can we?!” the redhead asked excitedly. _

_ “Well, usually you gotta be 18 for this, but consider it a congratulations gift for becoming leaders.” _

_ “Sweet!! Meis, c’mon, let’s do this!” _

_ “I--” He hesitated to follow Gueira as he already got a head start running back to the building. He seemed to think about it for just a moment longer before following with a grin. “Okay…!” _

_ \- _

_ It had taken a few days for the red around their tattoos to fade away, Gueira remembered. It also took awhile for him to realize that from that moment on, Meis didn’t really want to wear his jacket anymore either. At first, he had insisted it was just because they didn’t feel that cold as Burnish (which Gueira thought was odd, considering he got cold enough some nights that Meis lent him his jacket). _

_ He wondered about it for a while until he found out just how much Meis loved his new tattoo. _

_ Gueira had to fight back the urge to laugh when he caught his first glimpse of Meis openly admiring the new tattoo on his arm in the mirror. There he was, the usually stoic and straight-faced brains of Mad Burnish, posing confidently in the mirror and borderline-caressing the new tattoo that read “wind blade” in Japanese on his arm. _

_ Gueira, in fact, could not resist the urge to laugh when Meis noticed him staring from around the corner and practically jumped in surprise. “Gueira--!! Fuck, don’t scare me like that!!” He glared with a pout as Gueira broke into a fit of laughter, stumbling into the room even as Meis punched him in the arm. _

_ “Ow-how!!” Gueira faked wiping a tear from his eye as his laughter died down and he rubbed his arm (not that it hurt that much). “Sorry, sorry! You digging the new tat?” _

_ To his relief, Meis turned back to the mirror, a smirk on his face as he lifted his shoulder confidently, all signs of annoyance fading. “I was worried about looking like a weeb, but it’s… growing on me.” _

_ Gueira stood next to him, tugging the collar of his shirt down with an equally-smug grin. “Looks good. I think we look pretty badass! Gueira and Meis, the leaders of Mad Burnish…” _

_ “... You don’t think it’s weird we’re all matchy?” Meis asked, looking at Gueira’s collarbone. _

_ “Matchy? Nah, if anything…” He mulled over his words. “This is gonna sound sappy--” _

_ “Oh no.” _

_ “--but I think it makes a pretty cool symbol of our friendship.” _

_ Meis laughed dryly. After all the drama that had happened a week prior, it was good to hear his laugh again, Gueira thought. “God, that is super fucking sappy.” He swept some hair behind his ear. “But… I like that. To be honest, I never thought I’d get matching tattoos with a friend before.” _

_ “Yeah. Me neither. I’m not gonna regret it.” _

_ “You better not. These are permanent, remember?” _

\-----

Even five years later, he didn’t regret it. He was careful to not make the same mistake as Meis from that day, but he couldn’t help but admire the tattoo reading “thunder blade” on his collarbone whenever they found a mirror. Gueira smiled appreciatively at the image in the mirror before picking up the hairdryer. As he took his time drying his hair, he relayed his plans for the day in his head. The others were doing their part for today, he believed. He just needed to do his. Glancing at the wall clock in the bathroom, he clicked his tongue. Maybe he’d taken a little too long in the shower--

_ Knock knock. _

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Ruffling his hair in another towel to dry it further, Gueira called out. “Yeah?”

Meis’ voice came from the other side of the door. “You decent? Your clothes are outta the dryer.”

“Oh shit, I forgot to actually take some in here.” He cracked the door open just a little, some of the steam escaping outside. “Gimme.” His hand reached out and took hold of the folded clothes Meis had prepared for him. Guess he noticed. “Thank you.”

“Tell me when you’re ready,” Meis said. “You wanted to do another round around the neighborhood, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll be out in a sec!” He closed the door and hurriedly started to get dressed. His eyes fell on the hairbrush sitting on the bathroom counter. Quickly, he ran it through his hair a few times, just to make it look presentable (even if his hair was always a mess anyway). _ Hope Leonix and the others got everything set up already… _

Within minutes he was out of the bathroom, fixing the jacket that was now his. He never really did get why Meis would want to give up such a cool jacket. It had grown a little small on both him and Gueira, but he had insisted Gueira should have it. He would always say it covered up his tattoo and was uncomfortable to wear, but Gueira never really got that feel. But oh well, that meant now he had a cool jacket to wear as one of the leaders. And that was just one more reason to favor getting a tattoo on the collarbone instead of on an arm.

Meis was sitting on the couch in the living room when Gueira came out. Upon seeing him dressed and ready to go, he stood.

He’d grown taller somehow over the years, Gueira had noticed. Maybe it was just sentimentality talking, but Meis had changed in ways he hadn’t appreciated until now, and for the better. His hair had grown even longer, still covering part of his face that seemed a little sharper and angular than when they first became friends. He’d straightened up his posture too for the most part (something Gueira thought he himself needed work on, with how much his back had been hurting lately).

All the fighting and heavy lifting they’ve had to do while on the run had made them both stronger over the years. It was more apparent with Meis, though. His body had become more toned, and it was especially evident in his arms. Gueira hated to admit it, but he envied him in that sense. Years later and he was still lanky and without muscle. There was always more work to be done.

\-----

_ There was one time when they were training that Gueira noticed a sudden improvement in how Meis fought. Before, it was usually Gueira who won their sparring matches by a long shot. He certainly was the favorite amongst the Burnish who liked to watch them fight. That was probably to be expected though, given how outgoing Gueira was in befriending the other Burnish and making them feel more at home when they had no home. _

_ Even though it made him feel a little bad, he couldn’t help but rub it into Meis’ face how often he’d win. _

_ Especially when he thought he had Meis beat again, trapped under his giant hand over his comparatively skinny torso, with both of Gueira’s legs trapping him in between. _

_ “Hah!!” He laughed triumphantly, showboating juuuust a little for the kids in the audience. “You goin’ easy on me today, Meis?” _

_ Usually this was the part where Meis would give in and disassemble his armor with an exaggerated pout (still done in good sportsmanship, even if it did succeed in making Gueira feel a little bad). But not this time. _

_ “As if!” _

_ This time, Meis instead aimed the extra limbs on his shoulders (which Gueira had likened to calling “antennae”) to point right at Gueira’s face. Gueira usually expected Meis to try and blast him in the chest. Instead, what he got was a sudden face full of blue flames, more concentrated and powerful than he had ever seen Meis release. His vision was swamped in bright blues and greens as he suddenly felt the tip of Meis’ arm blade strike him on the side of his face. _

_ That was enough to throw him off balance, and it gave Meis enough time to free himself, following up his assault with a quick kick to the face. Gueira barely had any time to react before he found his arm automatically blocking Meis’ next strike. He lunged forward, trying to catch Meis in his arms, only to find him suddenly not there. _

_ He had very little time to register the arms suddenly reaching around his waist, and suddenly the world was curving and the top of his head was hitting the ground seconds later. He gasped as he felt Meis kick him again on the side, and suddenly he was on his back, with Meis lunging onto him. _

_ He could only gasp again and shield his face, waiting for a blow that wouldn’t come. A few moments passed before he removed the hand shielding his face, to find Meis with one arm reared back and the other keeping his chest down. _

_ “... Nice,” was all Gueira managed to say before both their armors started to disintegrate. All the while, he stayed pinned under Meis’ hand. Once their armors were completely off, Meis was left straddling Gueira’s waist, one hand still on his chest and the other reared back as if he were about to punch him. Before Gueira could comment, however, Meis got off and extended a hand to him instead. “Did you just fucking suplex me back there?” Gueira finally asked. _

_ “Impressed? I like to think I’m getting stronger each time we fight,” Meis said with a confident huff, complete with a flip of his hair. _

_ It didn’t escape Gueira’s notice even as he pulled himself up. “Pfft, what was that?” _

_ “What?” _

_ “Y’know, the--” He mimicked the hair flip, earning a snicker from the other leader. _

_ “What, I’m not allowed to celebrate when I win for once?” _

_ “Not if you do it like that.” Meis flipped his hair again. “Stop that.” _

_ “No.” _

_ “That was so cooool!!” one of the Burnish kids shouted as the whole group came running over. “Gueira, Gueira! When’re you gonna teach us how to fight with that super cool armor too?!” _

_ “I want Meis to teach me!” one of the older girls with black hair said, tugging on his hand and jumping up and down. _

_ “Heh, yeah Meis, where’d you learn moves like that?” Gueira asked, eyebrow raised. _

_ He didn’t miss the faint smile on Meis’ face as he looked down. “I wanted to get stronger. I can't let you do all the work when we're in battle. We both have to protect our people, after all…” _

\-----

“You sure did take your sweet time in the shower,” Meis chuckled as he held the front door open for Gueira, snapping him out of the memory. The air in the small town was fresh and crisp, providing an atmosphere that seemed to blend well with nature. “I was worried you fell asleep in there.”

Gueira gave him a soft punch to the shoulder. “What, like you did back in Colorado?” He laughed upon hearing Meis stammer for a comeback. “It’s been ages! Honestly, I could’ve spent the rest of my life in that shower.”

“Take a chair inside next time, then,” Meis snickered. He looked around, waving to Nahalina, Adaluna, and a blue-haired friend of theirs as they made their way down the street with what looked like bags of chips and other snacks. “Where’re they running off to?”

“Probably nothing!” Gueira tugged on Meis’ arm in the opposite direction. “Hey, let’s start patrol on this side today.”

“Why?”

“Wanted to check on the older geezers first.” He turned Meis by the shoulder exaggeratedly and walked beside him, noticing the pensive look on his face and the way he shoved his hands deep into his pant pockets.

They were quiet as they took in the neighborhood’s sights around them. It was a relatively small town compared to the likes of the bigger metropolises they’d been used to seeing (and subsequently leaving ablaze as their flame demanded). It was probably an older town that never bothered to develop beyond what was established in its early years. With so many trees around, Gueira figured they’d get a good bonfire going later too when they were done here. He looked over to find Meis’ eyes trailing on the ground, his mouth pressed in a thin line. He kept his back slouched, hands still in his pockets as he kicked a rock while they walked.

“Everything okay?” Gueira asked.

“Yeah.” He stayed silent for a few seconds before following up. “Just… thinking, I guess.”

“About?”

Meis exhaled through his nose, a deep sigh that confirmed to Gueira that he was deep in thought. “I think about them sometimes.”

“You know I’m not good at the pronoun game.”

“Yuriika and Blair, mostly.” He cleared his throat. “I mean, all of them, really. But it’s hard to not think about them especially when I see those girls… They were all friends, right?”

Gueira nodded, keeping his gaze ahead. They’d lost quite a few Burnish over time. It was hard for him especially, having gotten used to learning every one of them that joined the group. Meis was more closed off from the others, and he didn’t show it as well, but it was easy for Gueira to tell just how badly he took every loss too.

Losing two of their oldest friends from Mad Burnish was especially harrowing on them when it happened.

\-----

_ The ringing in Gueira’s ears didn’t desist even as he picked himself off the ground. All around him was a thick blanket of snow. Nobody had anticipated an attack here of all places, especially in the middle of a snow storm. That first missile had blindsided all of them. _

_ By winter of their first year being Burnish, Gueira had come to dread the colder seasons. But they had little choice but to cross the mountain range in hopes of losing the Freeze Force this year. There was hope they’d lost those flying tanks tailing them when they made it to the higher elevation. It had been enough of a nightmare trying to keep everyone moving with bags full of supplies. To think a tank had been persistent enough to follow them that far... _

_ "YURIIKA!!!" Blair cried out, reaching for his silver-haired best friend as they were being carried off in a block of ice. Their lagging behind the group had made them an easier target. "NO!!" He narrowly avoided getting shot with the next barrage of ice missiles, yet he still found the strength to run fruitlessly after Yuriika. _

_ Gueira jumped to his feet immediately, burning the snow in front of him as he sprinted forward, lunging at Blair and tackling him to the ground as the tank fired more missiles at the group running away behind them. “Don’t, get down!!” _

_ Somewhere behind them, Gueira could hear Meis shouting at the other Burnish to keep moving, to find someplace to hide in the canyon ahead. _

_ "No!! I'm not leaving them to the Freeze Force!!” he shouted in desperation, struggling. “I can't-- I can't just do that! I can save them, I can!!" Tears streamed down his face as he shouted, flames escaping from his mouth as if he were undergoing another Burnish awakening. _

_ “Blair, it’s too dangerous--!!” _

_ "Let-- Let go of me!! I can do it…!!" Blair cried out as he burst into purple flames, melting the snow around them, trying to shake Gueira off-- but Gueira was far stronger. _

_ The sound of the tank’s cannons firing filled the air again, prompting Gueira to let go and stand to try to summon his armor. The sheer cold of the storm, however, had been taking a toll on all their flames. His armor sprang to life, but incomplete and only covering his limbs and head as he did his best to block the incoming fire. Every bullet that struck him chipped away at his armor already, however, and soon he was rendered half-frozen and stuck on the ground, unable to move as he watched the tank emerge from the storm and close in on them. _

_ "I'm sorry, I can't just leave them!!" Blair tore himself from Gueira's grasp as Gueira lunged to catch him again. "I need to save them!!" He roared with flames and summoned his motorcycle, throwing aside his supplies as he drove after the tank. _

_ “Blair-- BLAIR!!” Gueira heard Meis shout behind him, followed by the roar of flames that made quick work of the ice trapping him. “BLAIR, DON’T!!” The redhead could only lie there helplessly as he watched Meis rush forward, trying fruitlessly to catch up to their friend as he disappeared into the field of gray and white in front of them. _

_ “Meis, wait!!” Finally coming to his senses, Gueira leapt to his feet, similarly running forward only to step on something hard with a loud crack. He looked down to find Blair’s glasses crushed beneath his shoe. He quickly bent down to pick it up and shove it into his jacket pocket. He looked up again to find Meis standing there, looking out to the vast expanse ahead of them where they had just come from. The sound of a motorcycle’s engine had died out, as did the sound of gunfire and missiles firing. _

_ “He…” Meis was breathing heavily, unable to move from his spot. _

_ “Meis, we need to leave.” It was rare for Gueira to be the voice of reason between them. Yet he knew that they both knew that there was no use hoping they could find and retrieve both of their fellow Burnish. Not under these conditions. _

_ They knew this, both of them. Yet Meis still stood there blankly even as frost started to collect in his hair and he started to shiver for the first time in ages. _

_ “We need to go,” Gueira insisted, trying to keep his voice even as he tugged on Meis’ arm, pulling him back and trying to share the jacket he wore. Meis didn’t struggle or resist, letting himself be pulled away even as he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead. _

-

_ It had happened years ago, yet the topic of what occurred on those mountains sprung up from time to time. It was the first time they lost Burnish from the group, and it certainly wasn’t the last. From that day forward, however, Meis had become more paranoid in keeping all the Burnish together. He became more distant, yet at the same time more demanding in terms of staying safe. Nobody was allowed to wander off too far. They avoided going through mountains and canyons again after that. They tried to head south when the winter months struck again next year. _

_ And yet, every now and then, they’d lose people. Names and faces they’d learned and memorized suddenly disappeared from their lives, no matter how cautious they were or what precautions and plans they took. _

_ Disagreements and arguments on where to go and where to take the Burnish erupted between Gueira and Meis throughout the next year. In private they’d argue and debate where to take the group next. And it didn’t stop there. They’d have disagreements about when and where to raid for food (Gueira would insist on raiding supermarkets in the middle of town, but Meis would think that’s too risky). There’d be fighting about whether it was okay to let the children experiment with their flames or insist they keep them restrained. When the new, less malevolent but still powerful forces of Burning Rescue started to partake in challenging the Burnish, there were even arguments on whether to risk engaging with them. _

_ One argument that Gueira didn’t even remember the source of ended so heated that the two refused to talk to each other for days, raising tensions for the whole group. _

_ It had been a horrible feeling sitting in the pit of Gueira’s stomach, having to put a cheerful front in front of all the other Burnish while Meis stubbornly refused to even look at him. It soon became evident that the others were taking notice of their leaders fighting, and morale dropped steadily over the next couple of days until Gueira finally decided to confront Meis at night. _

_ For all his loner tendencies, it was easy for Gueira to find him sitting alone and away from the group. _ Typical hypocrite _ , he thought as he approached from behind, reciting strong words he wanted to say to Meis for his attitude problem in his head. _You wanna keep everyone together and here you are--

_ Crying. Meis was crying, he realized as he came closer. _

_ He wasn’t sure if Meis heard him approach when he suddenly turned his head with wide eyes full of tears, but he didn’t turn Gueira away, even when he came closer. _

_ “Meis…?” He didn’t know what to say. “Are you…” _

_ “... Go away, Gueira,” he said softly. It was apparent he was trying to keep his voice together. He took a shaky breath, as if he wanted to say something else. _

_ “Are you okay, Meis?” He took a seat next to him regardless, even as Meis avoided looking at him. “... Come on, talk to me.” _

_ “...” It took a long while for Meis to speak. The whole time, Gueira waited patiently, not taking his eyes off him. “I’m sorry… It’s… hard. Everything’s so hard to… deal with.” _

_ “I know.” He hated not knowing the right words to console him with. He wondered if it was even all right to show pity in the form of a hand on the shoulder. Meis didn’t seem to mind. _

_ “I could’ve done something back then. I could’ve saved at least one of them and I couldn’t…” _

_ “It wasn’t your fault, Meis. I should’ve… I should’ve done more.” He paused, trying to gauge Meis’ reaction. _

_ Meis shook his head. “It was my fault. I couldn’t do anything even when I had the chance.” _

_ “Meis--” _

_ “I should’ve been able to do something but I just stood there. They're dead because of me.” _

_ “Meis.” _

_ “I--” _

_ “Meis, could you snap out of it and listen…?!” he nearly yelled. He wasn’t used to hearing him talk like this. He flinched when Meis suddenly turned to him with a glare, tears starting to stream down his face again. _

_ “Don’t fucking tell me to ‘snap out of it…!’” he snapped. “Our friends, all those people we were supposed to be looking after, they could be dead and you want me to ‘snap out of it?!’” _

_ “Is yelling and feeling bad about it gonna make them come back?!” Gueira felt his hands ball up into fists, burning with Burnish heat. “I feel bad about what happened too, but we can’t just let it drag us down all the time…!” He relaxed, letting the heat in his hands dispense. “... I’m sorry. I miss them too. I wish I could’ve… done more to save them. But Meis… we can do better next time, with the people we have left. Yuriika and Blair wouldn’t have wanted us to stay like this forever.” _

_ “...” Meis looked away. He was trembling, hugging the one knee he brought up to his chest. “... I’m scared, Gueira,” he admitted after a long moment of silence. And it sounded like it, with how quiet and suddenly meek he sounded. _

_ “...” _

_ “All these people are depending on us… They’re depending on me too… Sometimes I don’t know if I’m up for it. I feel like… like one day I’ll lose everyone.” _

_ “...” _

_ “... I’m sorry, for pushing you away like that. And for yelling. I just… Part of me thinks if I do that, it’ll hurt less if you get taken away too… or maybe that’s just me trying to come up with an excuse.” _

_ “... You’re always gonna have me by your side.” Meis looked up at that. “You really think I’m just gonna stand by and let something like that happen? It’s not the end yet, y’know. Maybe Yuriika and Blair and all the others are still alive. They’re just waiting for us to bust them out.” _

_ “... We haven't been able to bust into a holding facility in ages, though." _

_ “They're getting crafty. They've gotten better at tracking us and hiding where they're taking everyone." _

_ "And all the weaponry they're developing is getting stronger, too..." _

_ "Yeah... But my point is, you’re not gonna be alone in this. That I wanna promise you.” He opened his hand, creating a flame. “As long as we have each other, it'll be okay. But you gotta be more open to our options. And you gotta talk to me, okay? I don’t want you to deal with this alone.” _

_ “...” Meis opened his hand as well, creating a flame that seemed to dance around Gueira’s on its own. They watched as the two flares joined and danced into a column rising to the sky. “... Okay. Promise.” _

_ “Promise.” _

_ “... I’m sorry,” he said again. “For how I acted.” His tears had finally stopped, the weariness in his voice fading away little by little. “And that you had to see me like this…” _

_ “I’m sorry too. Let’s just… put this behind us, okay?” He gave a reassuring smile to Meis. “It’s gonna be okay.” _

_ \- _

_ They hadn’t had as major of a fight since then. For that, Gueira was thankful. For a while, Meis had even been more open to talking about how he felt. It started out with him talking about how he felt every night (sometimes with Gueira’s prompting). Gueira learned more and more about him that way too. He didn't realize until then that Meis had a lot hidden under his usual exterior. Eventually that habit of talking died down, though. Maybe he was just tired of oversharing. But Gueira found it relieving whenever he did do it again. _

_ \----- _

“Hey…” Gueira nudged Meis on the arm as they walked. “Let’s try not to think about that today. You know that’s just gonna make you feel shitty again. There’s nothing we can do now but look forward.”

“Wow, that’s super cynical.” Meis made a noise that sounded like a scoff and laugh.

“You’re rubbing off on me.”

“What? Am not.”

“Yeah you are, man.” They walked up the stoop of what had evidently been a community center once. 

Meis sniffed the air, his brow furrowed in confusion. “Do you smell--”

The moment Gueira swung the door open, he broke into a coughing fit with Meis. There was a strong, pungent aroma in the air, along with the smell of something burning somewhere in the building. Some smoke billowed out the front door as Gueira waved a hand in front of his face, before breaking out into a grin.

“Aw hell, you guys found weed?!” he shouted excitedly. He stepped inside to find a group of the older Burnish lounging around inside, some on couches and others on the floor. “And you didn’t tell us?!”

Rach, who was taking up nearly an entire couch to themselves, took a drag from a joint and exhaled contentedly. “Sorry, we figured you’d come around anyway…”

Ravio stumbled over, holding two joints in his hand and looking up at Gueira and Meis with bloodshot eyes. “You two want…? We saved some just for youuuuu…”

“Hand it over,” Meis said, taking one of the sticks eagerly with one finger already creating a flame to light it. He still had a sullen look on his face, but was all too eager to jump at the chance to forget their troubles for a while. “I think this is just what the doctor ordered…”

“Fuck yeah,” Gueira grinned with a snicker, lighting the other joint and inhaling it as he pulled Meis in. Already the fumes inside the house were making his head feel fuzzy. Suddenly he was flopped back on a couch with Meis between him and Yza, who was already slumped over on the couch’s armrest.

“It’s been ages since we got some…” Meis droned, clearly affected by the smoke already. “Shit, we’re supposed to be patrolling, though…” 

“Bah, we’ve been here for a while already.” Gueira waved his hand. “‘Sides, the others do patrols too, y’know.”

“Right… sure… okay…” Meis trailed off, taking another drag off the joint. “I guess as long as we don’t stay for too long…”

—

“Hu—“ Meis broke out into a coughing fit before he could even begin his sentence an hour or so later. “How long have we been here?”

“Hhuuughh?” Gueira looked down from his spot on the couch, apparently just then noticing his friend had ended up on the floor at some point. “Meis… Meis. There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know.”

“Shut up. You shoved me off, dick.” 

“Glad to see you’re feeling better after all that heavy stuff…” Gueira snickered. He didn’t really know why. It actually made him a little sad to see Meis just lying on the floor for some reason. “Hey. Dude, are you okay?”

“I’m still sad,” Meis admitted with a bluntness that Gueira rarely got out of him those days. “Then again I’m always sad…”

“Come on, man,” Gueira bent down, grabbing Meis by the arms and dragging him back up to the couch. “Dude, you’re super light. Have you been eating enough?”

“Gueira.”

“Yeah?”

A long pause. “Remember when we talked after that one time we had that argument?”

“Yeah.”

“I still feel bad.”

“About?”

“Everything.”

“It’s okay, man.”

“It’s not. Everything’s shitty. Why did _ we _ have to become Burnish? You ever think about that?” He looked as though he were staring far into space. "We're on the run for something we couldn't even control... It's so unfair."

“I dunno… But yeah, I think about it a lot too. Why us…”

His voice grew quiet. “It… really sucks.”

“It does…”

“But it’s not as shitty with you around.” Meis flopped sideways, his head landing in Gueira’s lap. “You make things… way less shitty.”

“Fuck, man…” Gueira leaned on the armrest. “Same to you.” His hand lifted itself, lingering over Meis’ head. “That means a lot.” His hand lowered itself on Meis’ hair. “... Whoa, dude, your hair’s soft.”

“... Sorry, this is sappy bullshit.” He sighed, not complaining or doing anything as Gueira continued patting his hair. “I think I’m just overwhelmed again…”

“It’s okay. You know you’re always free to talk to me.” With Meis not saying anything about him touching his hair, he found himself running his fingers through the silky-smooth strands. How could his hair be so soft? It was so nice to the touch, and somehow, past the scent of marijuana in the air, Gueira could faintly smell the shampoo-- wait, that was because he was bending over to sniff his hair. He pulled away abruptly, taking his hand off Meis' head. “Wait, what am I doing?”

“Huh?”

“Sorry, your hair’s soft. I’m not really sure what I was doing just now.”

“I don’t mind it, but…” Meis sat up, shaking his head. “We should get going…”

Gueira suddenly sat straight up too, his head clearing up as if by magic. “Shit, that’s right…! Guys!!” He looked around to the three other Burnish, all of them now draped over furniture or lying on the floor. “Guys, what time is it?!”

“Uuuuhhhh…” Yza, now on the floor, looked out the window lazily. “Sunset…?”

“Sunset?!” Gueira stood immediately, dragging Meis by the hand up with him. “Shit, we gotta go!!”

“What?” Meis rubbed his red eyes. “What’s going on--” He was quickly dragged out of the building before he could get an answer. Stumbling over the rough pavement, it took a little bit for his head to clear enough to shake his hand free from Gueira’s. He looked around where they were. They ended up back in the neighborhood where their temporary house was. “Jesus, Gueira, where’s the fire? Shouldn’t we at least be finishing the patrol?”

Gueira abruptly stopped and turned around to face him, a grin suddenly decorating his face. “You really don’t know what today is, do you?”

Meis scratched his head, combing the hair out of his face as he did so. “... You know I don’t really check my phone for the date. Why--”

“Close your eyes.” Meis did so without question. Soon he was moving again, with Gueira pushing and guiding him from behind. “Don’t open them.”

“Okay, I guess…” He allowed Gueira to steer him down the street, sometimes suddenly turning him out of nowhere. At one point, he was turning left and right multiple times in quick succession, nearly falling over from it. “Gueira!”

He heard his friend’s snickers from behind. Apparently the drugs in his system made him giddier than usual. Meis nearly tripped as he was guided up what he assumed was a stoop. “Sorry, can’t help it. We’re here!”

“Can I open my--”

“SURPRISE!!” 

Meis’ eyes shot open at the sound of multiple other Burnish suddenly springing from nowhere. He was standing at the front door of someone’s house, with other members of the Mad Burnish standing in a crowd inside, some of them clapping and others standing around and cheering. Meis blinked at the sight before turning his head to find Gueira shoving him inside.

“Is it… my birthday?” he asked, dumbfounded for once.

“Yeah, man!!” Gueira guided him inside. “You seriously forgot?” 

“I don’t pay attention to these things anymore…” He found himself being pushed in front of Leonix, who was holding what looked to be a loaf of bread sitting atop of a plate with candles haphazardly stabbed into it. Behind him, Nahalina and Adaluna were holding up little homemade cards for Meis. 

“Happy 21st, Boss!” Leonix grinned. “Sorry we don’t have a proper cake. We couldn’t find anyone with the right ingredients in this neigh-- why do you smell so funny?”

“You guys really went through this trouble for me…?” Meis asked as he watched Leonix attempt to light the candles with his finger.

“Well, it was Gueira who organized everything,” Andrei piped in. “He’d been planning this since we got here!”

“Really…” Meis turned to find Gueira grinning next to him, hands still holding onto his shoulders. “You didn’t have to go through all that trouble for something so insignificant.”

“Insignificant?” Gueira repeated with a scoff. “C’mon, you’re calling my best friend’s birthday insignificant?”

Meis couldn’t help but laugh at that, moving his arm and swinging it around Gueira’s shoulders behind him. Maybe it was still the weed in his system taking away his inhibition him in front of all these people staring at them, but he couldn’t resist ruffling Gueira’s hair with his other hand, earning a laugh from him as well. “Fine, fine, you win this round--”

“Hey--” The sudden movement, Meis realized too late, had caused Gueira’s arm to bump into Leonix, who was still in the process of lighting the numerous candles stuck on the bread loaf-cake. “Shit!!” In one quick motion, the whole loaf was suddenly on fire.

“Ah, fuck!!” Gueira immediately shook free of the headlock. “Dammit, sorry!!”

“Guys, language!!” Andrei hissed. “The kids are still running around here!!”

“Boss, s-sorry!! I fucked up the cake!!” Leonix cried.

“Leonix, stop fucking swearing!!”

“It’s all right, calm down!” Meis continued laughing. Nobody could really remember the last time they’d seen him so relaxed and carefree. “It’s the thought that counts, right?”

“Y-Yeah, we _ did _just kinda find a bread loaf… We didn’t even make this…”

“We should have tons more food set up in the back!” Gueira joined in, steering Meis inside. “Let's get some food in you! Did you guys find any booze at all?”

“Wait, are you fine being around liquor though?” Meis asked as he was steered into the kitchen. True to Gueira’s word, there was a whole party’s worth of food set up. Everything from chips to fruit and even opened cans of preservatives had been set up for anybody to take. 

“Yeah man, I’m cool with it! Tonight’s about you, anyway!” He let go of Meis to bend down and search through a cooler on the floor. He rose again with two cans of beer in hand and handed one over. “Besides, you’re 21! Live a little!”

“You’re not, though,” Meis snarked as he hesitantly opened the can. It hissed as he did so, the scent of beer already hitting his nose. “But I guess as a legal drinker I can let you drink with my supervision.”

“Maybe just a sip for me, though,” he shrugged, taking a sip with Meis. Around them, the other Burnish were already chattering up a storm. Someone had found some kind of sound system and was playing music that neither young man recognized. “Lemme know if you wanna step out. It’s probably gonna get crazy in here soon.”

“We could always just hang outside,” Meis pointed out, gesturing to the backyard where the Burnish children had apparently decided to play around in. “Can we?”

“Yeah, totally!” The two stepped outside, weaving past the crowd of other Burnish (some of whom greeted Meis) on the way. 

Outside, the sky was already darkening. The backyard was basically just a porch to sit on and a dirt lot with trash strewn about. As Gueira and Meis sat down on the stoop, they watched as the Burnish children played around, some of them practicing summoning their armor like they had been taught.

\-----

_ “No, no, you wanna concentrate the flames a little more,” Leonix was telling one of the kids as Gueira and Meis finally came over to see what the commotion was all about. _

_ “I-I’m trying, but it’s not working…!” It was the boy with the eyepatch, still only about 8 and evidently not quite mature enough to summon a strong flame. _

_ “Hey, everything all right?” Gueira asked. “What’s wrong, Moku?” _

_ “I can’t do it…” he pouted, kicking a stray rock in frustration. “My flame’s never gonna be strong like you guys’...” _

_ “I’m starting to think maybe we should be putting off teaching the kids how to do armor and bike stuff…” Leonix sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he watched Moku mope about. _

_ “I get worried about their flames being hard to control,” Meis reluctantly agreed. “But Gueira had a point before. In case of an emergency, it’d help for them to know how to do it in a pinch.” _

_ “It’s not fair,” Moku whined. “My sister can do it, why can’t I?” _

_ “Maybe it’s your technique...!” Gueira suggested. “How do you summon a flame?” _

_ “How?” The child looked up at Gueira in confusion before looking down at his hands. “I just… do? Is that a trick question? I don’t really know what happens, it just happens.” He opened and closed his hand a couple times, to no effect. “It doesn’t wanna work now, though…” _

_ “...” Meis crouched down to his level with a warm smile. “You want to hear a secret, kid?” _

_ “You’re talking kinda loud for a secret.” _

_ “Well, consider it an open secret among us adult folk.” He gestured for him to come closer so he can speak in a lower voice. Gueira and Leonix similarly knelt down, listening in despite not needing to. “Sometimes, what you need is a spark to trigger that flame.” _

_ “A spark?” _

_ “Yeah. Think about why you wanna summon a flame. You gotta have the will and drive to do it right.” _

_ “What does that mean? How do _ you _ do it?” _

_ “You think for a moment. Why do you want to summon armor?” _

_ “Beeeecause it looks cool!” His eye seemed to sparkle as he answered in innocent sincerity. “You guys make it look cool!” _

_ Meis elbowed Gueira’s knee as he started to snicker behind him. “There’s another reason, right?” _

_ Moku stood there, thinking long and hard (even putting a hand to his chin). “Oh, yeah. I wanna… I wanna protect my sister in case those Freeze Force people come for us!” _

_ Meis nodded. “There you go. That’s what drives a lot of us too. Sometimes that spark comes from wanting to protect someone you love. And that’s a great motivation to use your flame.” _

_ Moku nodded as Meis stood. “So I just gotta think about protecting the people I love to do it?” _

_ “That’s how I do it. It’s not the only way, but we can see if it works for you. Let’s try it out, I’ll teach you. Now, first…” _

_ Leonix moved over to stand next to Gueira as Meis and the boy walked further away to practice. “See, that’s another reason I like you two as leaders better. The kids really look up to you.” _

_ “What?” Gueira scoffed. “Moku and his sister love you though. You’re like a team dad to them.” _

_ “Yeah, but I still got a lot to learn myself before I can teach them too. Meis had a real great point there though… about that flame being used to protect the people you love…” _

_ Gueira stayed silent as he watched Meis summon part of his armor, the part surrounding his arm, with Moku mimicking the movement without success. _

_ “Is that how it works for you too, Gueira? I always wonder how you manage to summon that big of an armor...” _

Is _ that how it worked for him? He never really did dwell on summoning his armor that much. It just happened when he needed it to. There wasn’t much to think for him. Maybe his reasons were more selfish, he thought ashamedly. His armor was only as big as it was because he'd always wanted to be strong. He faintly remembered spending so much of his childhood admiring the muscular and ideal figures of superheroes and sport stars on television. Yet even now he wasn’t bulking up like he’d always wanted. He’d blame it on the scarce diet he and the rest of the Burnish lived on, but even Meis looked to be growing at a better rate than him. How was it that even Meis could have a nice body like that, he wondered sometimes... _

_ His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Moku successfully summoned a black gauntlet-like glove around his arm. “Hey, you did it, kid!!” Gueira cheered, completely forgetting about Leonix’s question. _

_ “I did it!! I did it!!” _

_ Gueira ran over with Leonix in tow, mumbling something. He slowed down upon hearing him mutter something about him. “Did you say something, Nix?” _

_ “Huh, no, nothing…” _

_ \----- _

“Watch your form, Moku!” Meis called out. The kid was now able to summon armor on just his limbs, but it was a vast improvement from years ago when he and the others first started out. 

“Ah, they grow up so fast…” Gueira sighed, taking another sip from his can. He decided maybe beer wasn’t for him, but he didn’t want to let it go to waste (even if the memory of his father soured its taste further). Meis sure did seem to enjoy it, though, as evidenced by him shaking his can and peering inside to see if it was completely empty. 

“_ We _grew up too fast…” Meis said, hiccupping from drinking too fast. 

When he didn’t follow up, Gueira spoke again. “I guess you’re right… Heh, I mean, at least we didn’t have to worry about college…”

“Yeah... I wonder if this’s what a house party’s like…” Meis mumbled. He eyed Gueira’s can of beer.

Gueira handed him his can, still full of beer. Meis took and drank it without complaint (a far cry from years ago when he refused to drink from whatever Gueira drank from). “Probably. But without the kids.” They watched as Bianca blocked one of Moku’s strikes, to which the other children started cheering. “... Do you ever regret running away, Meis?”

“...”

“Like… you had a whole life ahead of you. Do you ever just… wish you didn’t run away? Like, maybe if you stayed in Miami, you wouldn’t have turned Burnish...”

“No.”

Gueira blinked. For someone with THC and alcohol in his system, Meis answered so quickly and so bluntly, so clearly and assured of himself. “Really?”

“Maybe I would’ve come up with a plan for my life if I stayed… I already told you they were gonna send me to private school.” He leaned back, looking up at the sky. “Or… fuck, I forgot the word. You get what I mean. Point is, I don’t think I would’ve been happy with my life if I stayed. I didn’t know what I wanted to do if I went to college anyway. Maybe I was just fated to turn Burnish anyway."

“Are you happy now, though?” Gueira asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah." Again, he answered so quickly. "Because you’re here.” 

He turned to face Meis, who was still looking up. His eyes looked far off. His cheeks were reddening from what he assumed was the alcohol. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. You make life a lot more enjoyable.”

“How so?”

“You always keep everyone’s spirits up. You know what to say to do that. You’re loud, but in a good way that reminds people to not stay… sad, I guess. Not stay sad for a long time, I mean. And… even though you’re a huge fucking dork--”

“Gee, thanks.”

“-- you’re real friendly to everyone. Even an asshole like me.”

“You’re not even an asshole, though.”

“Please.” He laughed dryly. “I’m pretty sure everyone in our grade hated me.”

“I don’t think so? I only ever heard people say good things about you. Like, you’re super smart and cool and junk.”

“Really…”

“Really. At least, that’s what I think, too.”

“... That means a lot coming from you…” He took another drink from the can Gueira gave him, chugging it down entirely before turning to face him. He was close enough that Gueira was aware of the scent of alcohol on his breath. “... Yeah, I have no regrets about running off. Even after all the shit’s that happened, I still like to think that things can get better as long as you’re around...”

Gueira blinked, leaning back. “What _ are _we gonna do now, though? You think we’ll just be running for the rest of our lives?”

“If we have to,” Meis shrugged. “We’ve been doing this for, what, five years now? Maybe one day we’ll find a place to settle… Just live in peace and get married and junk, y’know?”

Gueira sighed. “Not as long as the Freeze Force and Burning Rescue bitches are on our tails… It’s like I’ve been saying, we gotta find a way to show them we shouldn’t be fucked with!”

“And how do you suppose we do that?”

“I think… I think we should show ‘em how much destruction we can cause if they don’t leave us alone.”

“... Maybe that could work…” Gueira didn’t know if Meis was only agreeing because of his current state, but he was thankful he was listening.

“... Hey Meis?”

“Yeah?”

“Where do you wanna go after this town? You pick. It’s your birthday.”

“... Somewhere big,” he answered after a few moments of mulling it over. “I like that idea of yours. I really wanna flip off the Freeze Force and those Burning Rescue bastards. But especially the Freeze Force.”

“I heard from some of the other Burnish that Promepolis might be a good place to hang around. It ain’t too far from here. Should have some places for the Burnish to hide in while we burn stuff.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, lots of flammable buildings in the city, I hear. I wanna make a big scene too. Like how we did it back in Dallas. Make the world fear us after all the shit that’s happened. Plus, that’s where the big boys are. If we can prove how much trouble we can be to the big heads of Burning Rescue and the Freeze Force…”

“Yeah… Yeah, that sounds really good.” He stumbled to his feet. “Hold on… I wanna get… some more… This stuff’s good... ”

“Hey, are you okay?” Gueira stood as well, preparing himself in case Meis toppled over.

“I’m fine. I think I just wanna… let loose and relax for tonight. Just forget about our troubles for a while… You wanna come with?”

“Uh, honestly?” He thought for a moment. They _ did _ strike gold in finding this town. They deserved a break once in a while. He was still on the fence about the booze, but if Meis of all people wanted to relax… “No, yeah, actually, I think I wanna let loose for a while too. Let’s get some more booze. We’re gonna _party_ tonight.”

He heard Meis mutter a “yessss” under his breath as they stumbled inside. The other Burnish were already partying. The noise began to drown out Gueira’s thoughts as he was pulled inside by his friend. 

_ Let Meis have this… He’s been worrying too much. Even he needs a break sometimes. _

\--

Regret.

Regret was the first thing on Meis’ mind as he struggled to wake up the next morning. Blinking the bleary vision from his eyes, the second thing that came to Meis’ mind was the painful pounding in his head that seemed to pass quickly the more he woke up. Slowly, he sat up, and the third thing that came to mind was the fact that he was lying on a mattress on the floor with trash surrounding him and Gueira, who was sleeping on top of his arm--

Meis blinked, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. “Gueira?” He didn’t wake up. It took a moment for Meis to notice his arms wrapped around his own (the realization of which bought heat to his face). “Gueira. Hey. Wake up.” As much as he hated to wake him, he shook his friend awake.

He woke with a start, snorting as he sat up. “Wh-- ow, fuck…” He immediately held his head, and Meis swore he could hear the same thumping in his head.

“What happened last night…?”

“We partied hard…” Gueira muttered in a way that sounded unsure. “I don’t remember? I think we blacked out…”

“Mm… Sure as hell feels like it…” Meis lied back down, trying to ignore the awful feeling in his stomach. “... Think we can get away with just staying like this all day?”

“Knowing our luck? Probably not.”

_ Knock knock. _ “Gueira, Meis!!” It was Leonix.

“See?”

The door swung open, revealing Leonix already dressed and with a bag slung over his shoulder. “We have a sit-- ooh, sorry, am I interrupting something?”

“A hangover,” Meis snapped with a glare. He sat up again, to his body’s protest. "Don't talk so loud..."

“Sorry, sorry,” Leonix said as he hurriedly came over to hand them a bottle of pills. “Here, thought you might like these after what happened last night. But listen, our roof watch guys have been reporting they can see Freeze Force tanks from where we are. Said they should still be far, but we might have to go _ soon _.”

Gueira groaned in annoyance as he took some pills from Meis. “Ugh, just our luck… I really liked this place, too…”

Meis took a sip of water from a bottle Leonix offered him after before handing it to Gueira. “Is everyone already aware?”

“Everyone’s packing already. Told them to meet in the town square, if that’s all good. Ymir and Sasha are packing your guys’ stuff at your place too.”

“Thanks, Nix,” Gueira said, standing up with a sigh. “I’m gonna use the bathroom. Do a headcount and make sure everyone’s accounted for, okay?”

“Got it, Boss.” As soon as Gueira had left, Leonix turned to Meis. “You feeling good, other Boss?”

“Besides this headache? I think I’m good to drive.”

“Did you have a good time last night?” Meis resisted the urge to slap Leonix silly upon seeing the crooked grin on his face.

“I think I did,” he nodded slowly. “I can’t really remember much, though.”

“R-Really?”

“Really… I don’t really remember what happened after drinking…”

“I see… You guys really let loose last night. Lemme tell you, it took us a while to find you just now too,” Leonix chuckled as he stood around. “So, you and Gueira…”

Meis’ hand found a stray pillow, which he threw at the older Burnish’s face. “Nothing like that happened!!” … At least, that’s what he assumed. He was still fully dressed, and from what he remembered, so was Gueira. 

“Sorry, just wanted to make sure!!” Leonix laughed, the sound dying down within seconds. “Oh, yeah, also, where are we headed after this?”

Through the fog of memories that clouded Meis’ mind, he remembered talking about their next destination. 

It really was a shame to leave this town. They had plans to burn it down just to scratch that itch that was the urge to burn everything. Maybe it was about time to strike fear into the hearts of the people who were against their way of life. They weren’t going to make a statement just by riding around and running with tails between their legs. Gueira had a point in that. 

“How does a trip to Promepolis sound?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It only struck me recently, how am I going to do a flash forward to present-ish day (regarding canon events) after five years? I hope doing this was the right way to do it. If it were up to me, and if I had the time for it, I would totally make a separate fic with more drabbles on what happened over the five year skip. And also maybe another fic focusing on some of my own Burnish OC's (to answer questions like "what happened to Leonix's boyfriend?" or "what caused the Burnish kids to go Burnish?") But it looks like that'll have to wait a long, long time...
> 
> As I said before, there's a high chance that I won't be able to focus on this fic for a long while. And it's really a shame, because next chapter was going to be when a certain fan favorite finally appears!


	8. Lio Fotia pt. I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took like two months for me to get another chapter up! School is super busy, but the work is starting to die down juuuust a little bit! This chapter was originally going to be longer so that the very next one will skip right to post-movie, but unfortunately it's gotten so long and I didn't want to delay what I really got so far, so next chapter will be part II! Just a little longer!
> 
> Also, the beginning part basically is Lio-hen. It should be on YouTube if you haven't seen it, but apparently it's unlisted. I highly recommend watching that first if you can manage to find it.

Promepolis was beautiful enough from the distance. That much Gueira and Meis could agree on. They could also agree that it would’ve looked  _ much _ better decorated in flames. The battalion of Mad Burnish snickering in anticipation behind them seemed to agree too as they waited patiently for the go-ahead, like mad dogs waiting anxiously for a meal.

They had enough waiting too. It took way too long to get here. The shiny and pristine city, almost appearing as a mirage in the middle of the desert, seemed to call out to them. The fire inside them was itching for freedom. Some of the Burnish were already seated on their bikes, revving loudly as they waited for their leaders to give the signal.

The two leaders raised their fingers, grinning. 

_ Snap _ .

All it took was a snap from their fingers for the whole group to burst into a violent inferno of flames, unable to hold back their excitement any longer. Suddenly, they were all screaming, some even laughing, as all their restrained flames burst forth at once.

Gueira cackled from the sheer pleasure of the warmth. “Come on, come on, come on!!” he screamed. “I can’t get enough of this…! I need more…!”

Meis’ laughter joined his as his hair whipped wildly in the updraft, much like the flame of a candle. “It’s gonna be a good day for burning…! Just a little longer!”

In an instant, the flames concentrated and collected over each member, and they were all clad in their armor, all mounted on their respective vehicles. Meis gazed up as Gueira emerged from the blackened flames in his hulking mass of armor.

“LET’S DO THIS!” he shouted. “MAD BURNISH!!”

As always, he was answered back by a chorus behind them. “BURNIN’ BURNISH!!” 

Subtly, Meis nodded in Gueira’s direction. With a nod back, Gueira jumped into the air with his ATV, with Meis following closely behind him as they led the group down the mountain, speeding toward the sparkling city in the distance. It was something neither of them ever got tired of. When it came to these raids, no one was short of energy or eagerness to get ahead, yet no member dared to speed ahead of Gueira or Meis. Such was the respect and esteem they held as leaders.

The plan was standard for whenever they came across big cities like this. Just a small team of Mad Burnish would accompany them to wreck some havoc and stoke the flames aching for release inside them. To every outsider, their rampant destruction was lawless and chaotic. And maybe it was. But deep down, they hoped their message would get across.

They’re Mad Burnish, they exist, and they weren’t going to sit idly as the rest of the world sought out their blood.

If they found a good target on their trip, they’d strike while the iron was hot. They’d heard many things about Promepolis, and how it was a city founded by some big-named anti-Burnish hero who created effective technology to deter their flames. There was some dissent amongst certain members of the Mad Burnish for this raid for that very reason. Promepolis was known for having fairly competent Burning Rescue  _ and  _ Freeze Force bases nearby as well. As one of the few major cities with efficient anti-Burnish measures, it was a highly risky place for any Burnish organization to strike. And yet they went ahead with their plan anyway, confident in taking the risk. They’d been through worse throughout the years, after all.

Their trips usually only lasted a couple hours at most, and this time was no shorter of a blur than past trips. While Meis and his troop sped down the streets to take care of those obnoxiously gaudy ice-spewing hydrants (which didn’t even work against them), Gueira had gone on ahead to find a nice target to burn down. The trees lining the streets almost like welcome torches for the Burnish had caught on fire during the attack, Gueira noticed. Giddily collecting all the nearby flames, he reared his arm back like he would when practicing for football tryouts, before launching the enlarged fireball into a large building, one bearing that gaudy anti-Burnish’s logo, on the corner of the street.

_ BOOM!! _

Screams rang out around them as Gueira triumphantly flexed his arms in celebration. Meis pulled up next to him, slowing to a stop as he watched Gueira cackle with glee. “You sure know how to put on a show, Gueira,” he said with a low chuckle. He could see the grin spreading on his partner’s face through his helmet. It didn’t falter or disappear when they heard the Burning Rescue siren from down the street, heralding the giant truck’s arrival to the scene.

“Burning Rescue, huh?” Gueira mused. “Looks like bad company, Meis.”

“Things are starting to really heat up now,” Meis said. “What say we mess with them? Just the two of us?”

\---

That day was going perfectly.

Burning Rescue didn’t even put up a fight against the two Mad Burnish leaders, giving them free reign to wreck as much havoc as they desired in the same building that Gueira blew up. Soon, the whole place was bathed in fire. At some point, they split up to cover more ground, but kept relatively close to where they last saw each other in case they ended up picking a fight with the Burning Rescue members.

Then they felt it, both of them.

There was another Burnish, one who just turned.

There was little explanation they could find for how they could know these things, like how well the other Burnish felt or where their fellow Burnish were, but they had learned not to question it. Gueira met Meis where they had split up as soon as they both felt the new Burnish’s presence, like a ringing in their chest that they could hear.

“Meis! You feel it too?!”

“There’s no mistaking it.” They both pointed their vehicles to the windows. “That way! Let’s get them, and fast!”

“Right!”

\---

She was a young woman whose name they only noticed on her ID batch when she finally came to on the back of the latter’s motorcycle. Retrieving her was easy enough, thankfully. But the hard part, as always, was inducting the new Burnish to their group.

New Burnish like her were always an exciting yet depressing experience. Many newly-born Burnish were more than hesitant to accept their fate along with what lay ahead of them in terms of their new lives. It was only on occasion that they’d find a Burnish who was more than willing to leave their old life behind. Thyma very decidedly fell into the former category. She was quiet throughout the ride, shy and meek. Yet when the reality of the situation finally settled in, Meis felt a pang of guilt at her despair.

“Please, take me home…!” That was the gist of what she wanted when she was introduced to her new people, at their temporary home at the run-down gas station they found. It was what the majority of new Burnish said at some point after being rescued by the Mad Burnish. “I don’t belong here, just please take me home!”

The first few times they met new Burnish as leaders, Gueira was more sympathetic to their plights, Meis noticed. But as the years went on, as more Burnish came to awaken under the flame, he’d become more blunt. When it came to inducting new members to their faux-family, he’d show less outward sympathy. Meis always did wonder why, and in addition he wondered how Gueira could be so harshly straightforward while still keeping that characteristic, carefree smile on his face.

“If we hadn’t come around, you’d be behind bars by now,” he told Thyma. “There ain’t any going back to your old life. This is your life now.”

They’d gotten used to this routine by now, Meis figured. Five years was bound to numb them to the ongoing war that was the fight for their and everybody else’s lives. Once reality set in for good, there was less room for sugarcoating.

He still felt bad though, watching Thyma fall into despair as she looked down at her hands, now the source of the fire engulfing the three of them. He made a mental note to check up on her later when she had settled down.

But she’d have to get used to this eventually. They all did at some point.

Life had consisted of traveling and hiding, occasionally raiding, then more traveling and hiding. They’d become masters of finding new places to stash away the more pacifistic Burnish who wanted no part in the fighting. They’d learned to keep themselves under the radar to avoid arousing suspicion. They’d become experts in the art of causing chaos while simultaneously becoming the saviors amongst the Burnish.

And yet, even when they were just as flawlessly careful as every other time, they lost everyone so easily that same day.

The moment their scout spotted the Freeze Force flying in from the distance was the moment everybody’s hearts sank. They’d never seen that many coming in before. That was probably what they should’ve expected, having just raided one of the biggest anti-Burnish cities in the country as  _ the  _ most wanted Burnish group out there.

“What’s going on?” Thyma asked as she watched in fear. The Burnish inside looked anxious too, Meis noticed. He could hardly keep a stoic expression as he anticipated Gueira’s next orders.

“Freeze Force,” Gueira growled. “We’re gonna take care of this, all right? If they catch you, it’s a life behind bars for sure. You can’t go back to the life you lived ever again. You gotta remember that.” He motioned for Meis to follow as some of the other Mad Burnish members rallied behind them. The rest of Mad Burnish stayed with the civilians. “We’ll hold them off. The rest of you, run out the back and run like hell, got it?”

“But--”

Gueira smiled. “You best buckle up, all right? This is where things get rough.” He turned his gaze to the group of Burnish waiting inside the building. He locked eyes with Leonix and nodded once as he turned to join the rest of the Mad Burnish. 

It was a classic bait-and-run routine. The Mad Burnish were supposed to draw away the Freeze Force’s attention, while everyone else ran for the hills. There were always Mad Burnish members dropping in and out of rotation, some volunteering to lead the other Burnish civilians away. It almost always worked. In the worst cases, maybe one or two civilians would be too slow or too exhausted to keep running and they’d be taken away.

_ But this time… _

_ How did it all go wrong…? _

They were all laughing tauntingly at the tanks behind them one moment, weaving in and out and in between ice bullets. The next, they were getting plowed from behind at high speed and thrown off their rides. The Freeze Force had gotten craftier over the years. They’d become smarter, with better weapons that far surpassed the technology they used just years ago.

They were much, _much_ stronger now.

Neither Gueira nor Meis could forget the face of the Freeze Force’s leader, an absolute colossus of a man with a face that scarred their minds. Nor were they going to forget the incredibly numbing power of the artillery he wielded.

It only took one blow each to freeze them, a far cry from the measly guns that took multiple shots to freeze even a small portion of their armor. Meis panicked within his icy prison. He’d only been subjected to this kind of tech a couple times before. Yet this time, in his consciousness, he was very aware of how rigid and immobile he was. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t summon any flames, not even heat at his fingertips. All of a sudden, it was as if they refused to respond to him, leaving him without warmth for the first time in so long even inside his Burnish armor.

His eyes shifted and looked over to Gueira, similarly rendered unable to do anything. 

He wondered, in cold dread, if this was it for them.

The idea of being captured after so many years of running… The thought of being turned in and imprisoned or even worse… They found out long ago what happened to captured Burnish. As the leaders of what was essentially a terrorist group, they stood no chance. The hope within them faded so quickly.

But the distant revving of a bike caught his attention even as he was unable to move his head. 

All of a sudden, there was the sound of someone throttling their bike. It sounded far more powerful than any bike any of the other Mad Burnish were able to create. 

_ No, you all need to run!! _ Meis thought, desperately wanting to shout out at whoever in their group was even daring to try to oppose the brute who was just stomping over his frozen body. Even when he’d heard the threat of being shattered, he worried more for the other members cornered out there. 

There was a sound of gunfire, followed by what sounded like a crackling explosion. And suddenly, the air around them was burning once again. 

It all happened so fast. One moment, the Freeze Force had the upper hand. The next, tanks were being thrown everywhere and the Force’s artillery was being obliterated by arrows made from Burnish flames.

And yet not a single human life was taken. Even with the clear sudden advantage, not one soldier’s body was left charred on the ground. 

“That’s it! You’re dead!!” Meis didn’t miss the excited tone in Gueira’s voice as he aimed and tried to launch a fireball at the Force’s leader, nor did he miss said fireball getting pinned to the ground by another arrow.

Meis followed the arrow’s path back to its source, to a young man in an old chopper-style motorcycle.  _ He’s the source of all this?! _

“You dick!!” Gueira had shouted, more annoyed and frustrated than outright furious. “What was that for?!”

What came out of the newcomer’s mouth chilled Meis more than the ice that had just imprisoned him and Gueira. “We Burnish are not killers.” 

In one swift movement, he summoned a wall of flames separating the Burnish from the soldiers. As Gueira stared in awe, Meis looked back at their savior. The newcomer gestured for them and the rest of the Burnish to follow him to safety, to salvation.

So they did.

\---

“My name is Lio Fotia.”

He had explained himself and his philosophy concisely upon the Mad Burnish’s escape from the scene. 

Burnish were people too, he had said. People, just like every other human being who didn’t turn. The Mad Burnish’s crimes would only serve to worsen the situation for the other innocent Burnish who tried to live peacefully, he continued. 

Something about that part made Gueira’s hands curl into fists, Meis noticed. 

He had a grand vision for the future of Burnish. He wanted to establish a place where the Burnish could live peacefully, away from the prejudice dealt by the rest of humanity. That was what he wanted to fight for. 

The idea of a new home, a permanent one, sparked something in both Gueira and Meis. Or perhaps it was the idealism of this new Burnish who they, without a doubt, had to take in at any cost. He seemed wise beyond his years, and yet he was so steadfast in his beliefs. He was certain too, that something like this could work out.

They wanted this too, deep down, they realized, even as they didn't say it out loud. Thus they resolved to follow Lio’s ideals.

Lio was a quiet young man, soft-spoken yet passionate in what little he said to explain himself. The way he presented himself betrayed just how young he looked. To the two leaders, he looked no older than a teenager on the cusp of proper adulthood. And yet, his ability to wield such a strong flame that could best even the latest in Freeze Force technology was unlike anything they’d seen in all their years as Burnish. 

“Is there any reason you’re looking at me like that?” he asked as he finished speaking, snapping both Gueira and Meis out of their thoughts as their column of shared flames faded away to the night sky.

“Uh--” Gueira stammered first. “Nothing. Lio, huh…” His eyes scanned the shorter male up and down. “Guess you’re one of us now… Welcome to the family.” He looked to Meis as if to ask for confirmation.

Meis nodded. “Yeah. Welcome.” Lio didn’t say anything in response. “It’s getting late. Let’s find a place to hide out for tonight. We should rest up.”

Lio simply nodded in turn. “All right. Let’s head for the mountains. I’ve seen a good selection of caves over there.” He pointed at the formation in the distance.

“You been around these parts for a while?” Gueira asked, eyes following his finger. 

“You can say that.” With that, he started walking past the other bikers with an air of impatience. “Are you coming, or what?”

\---

“I’m not sure about this kid yet,” Gueira muttered just loud enough for Meis to hear as they set up camp. While the few members of Mad Burnish left huddled around their own fire, Lio had sat himself at the entrance of the cave, feet dangling off the cliff’s edge.

“I’m not either,” Meis muttered back. “He’s got a strong flame for sure, and he’d be a great asset to the team, but…”

“Something about him rub you the wrong way too?” Gueira asked, squinting upon seeing Lio gently refuse a can of soup offered to him by one of their Mad Burnish.

“Yeah. I dunno if it’s the ‘no killing’ thing or how strong his firepower is, though…”

Gueira blinked. “Oh.”

“What?”

“I thought you meant his fashion choice too.”

Meis slumped his shoulders. “Be serious.” He paused. “But yeah, that too.”

Gueira leaned against the cave’s wall, crossing his arms in contemplation. “... You and I… We’ve already killed a lot of people.”

Meis’ lips pressed into a thin line. It wasn’t something bought up so easily nor that often between them. Ever since their first holding facility raid, they hadn’t been keen on discussing the casualty rates of the opposing side. It was better off being irrelevant to them. Though it still weighed heavily on their consciences, it weighed significantly less with the fact they didn’t bring it up often. But now…

“Yeah. I know. I think Lio’s aware.”

“...” Gueira shifted uncomfortably in place, eyes trailed to the ground. “It was necessary though, wasn’t it?”

Meis refused to answer at first, as much as he wanted to validate their methods for doing what they did. He’d gotten used to the screams of fear and pain over the years. They both did. Eventually they learned to live with the necessities of crime and war.

Yet how was it only now that the guilt was bubbling up again, after laying dormant for years?

“... It was necessary,” Gueira repeated, sounding more sure of himself this time. He scoffed, a familiar spark of anger returning to his eyes. “Those bastards show no mercy to us  _ or _ our people. They took the fucking kids away too…! How’re we supposed to spare them when they have no problem killing us off?!”

Meis huffed similarly. “They’ve done unspeakable things to the Burnish…” he solemnly agreed. “You’re right. We could only fight back… Otherwise, we’d be dead.”

“Yeah. It’s like you said way back when we became the leaders,” Gueira continued pointedly. “It’s kill or be killed for us. Even if the government ends up targeting Burnish people more, what, are we supposed to let ourselves be killed off?! I don’t wanna live that way!”

He calmed down as he saw Meis’ expression soften. “... I don’t fully agree with that kid’s motto or philosophy or whatever,” he began, “but… I gotta say I do agree with that part about the other Burnish…”

His companion looked at him oddly. “What part?”

“The part you just said. If we keep being careless and leading people to their deaths… it’s just going to make things harder for the Burnish who can’t defend themselves.”

Gueira groaned in annoyance, pacing back and forth in the same spot. “Then what?!”

“We could stand to be more careful.” He watched the other leader continue pacing in frustration. “... For the people we have left.” Gueira stopped. “We’ll hold back on our attacks unless we really need to fight back. I guess… that’s fair, right?”

Gueira took a deep breath. “... Fine. Okay, I guess that’s doable…” He crossed his arms and slumped down to the floor. “But holding back ain’t gonna bring our friends back.”

“We’ll get them back somehow.” Meis slid down with him, crouching next to him.

“And how do you suppose we do that?”

They both looked to Lio as the sun disappeared over the horizon. “I get the feeling that kid’s got a plan. We’ll just have to wait it out… See what he’s got plotted.”

\---

Being on the run for years, Gueira found, meant getting less than what was probably recommended as a full night’s rest. Being Burnish, they eventually discovered, meant they physiologically didn’t require as much sleep too, apparently. Being leaders of the Burnish, they implicitly agreed, meant they should wake up earlier than everyone else to survey the area’s safety, make sure supplies were packed and ready in case of emergency, etc.

So needless to say, Gueira felt something was off the moment he woke up to the sound of the other Mad Burnish members chattering amongst themselves. He immediately catapulted into sitting up, instantly taking in the fact that the sun was already rising again. Normally, he and Meis would be awake by the crack of dawn.

He looked over to his side to find Meis still miraculously asleep, one arm acting as his own pillow and the other stretched out under where Gueira’s head had been just a moment ago.

“Meis, hey,” Gueira shook him gently, startling him awake. 

“Huh-- what?” He jolted awake.

“Everyone’s already up.” Not feeling the need to explain himself further, Gueira rose, taking a quick survey of the other Mad Burnish. Though he’d never say it out loud, there was something disheartening about the fact that among the group of about a dozen Burnish, none of them were particularly close to him or Meis. Most of them were relatively new faces that Gueira was still trying to remember, names hardly memorized. Part of him wished deep down that someone like Leonix or Rach had tagged along for the diversion when the Freeze Force attacked. Now they were no doubt captured too, after trying to gallantly lead away the others to salvation…

“Is something going on?” Meis asked as he too finally stood up, stretching quietly as he did. He stretched his back with an audible crack. “Where’s the kid?”

“Good morning.” Right on cue, Lio entered their field of vision with two cans of soup in hand. He extended his arms to them, letting them take a can each. 

“Is something goin’ on?” Gueira asked, an eyebrow raised as he opened his can, subconsciously heating it in his palm. “Why’s everyone up?”

“I might’ve woken some of them up when I got up,” he admitted, almost looking a bit sheepish. “Seems they were restless after what happened.”

“How long did you actually sleep?” Meis asked. 

“I only need a couple hours.”

Gueira looked at him with a grimace. “... Uh-huh.”

“What?”

“Kid, you know how dangerous it is to be sleep-deprived when you’re on the run?”

“My  _ name  _ is Lio,” he said with a look on his face that sent chills up their spines for just how  _ pissed  _ he suddenly looked. “And I think I’d know what my limits are.”

“Yeah?” Meis took a sip from his can of soup. “Well, still. You may be strong, and you may be part of Mad Burnish now, but you should still leave the adult stuff to the actual adults.”

It was a quick movement, but Lio’s eyes seemed to scan them up and down in a second. “I’m 18,” he said blankly.

Gueira blinked, exchanging glances with Meis in just as quick of a movement. “No shit?”

“To be fair, I just turned,” he shrugged before crossing his arms. “But aren’t you two to talk? You look like the youngest here besides me.”

“I just turned 21,” Meis said. 

Gueira raised his hand. “20.”

“I’m oldest, I win.”

“Shut up.”

“Anyway,” Lio cut in. “Sorry if I was causing a fuss, but in any case, I distributed food amongst the others and checked in with everyone. Everyone’s present and accounted for.”

“Hmph.” Gueira leaned in closer to Meis so only he’d hear him. “Look at this kid. He’s already tryin’ to lead us...” To his delight, that actually elicited a small chuckle from Meis.

“I try to do what I can when others can’t,” Lio said, causing Gueira to glare at him. “Everyone has limits, and clearly you two hit yours yesterday from the fight.”

Gueira caught a quick glimpse of Meis rolling his eyes and shaking his head. “Little smug-ass…” Gueira murmured to himself.

“I have a request.”

“You can stop talking so formal--”

“I want you two to fight me.”

“Ex _ cuse _ me?” Meis asked, taken aback. “You want to fight?”

“You both wield incredible flames,” Lio began. “It’s apparent enough in your armor and vehicles. But I didn’t get to see much of what you can do yesterday.” He adjusted his black half-gloves, inspecting them with casual disdain. “And after what little I did see, I have some concerns.”

“What was that?!” Gueira growled. “You’re talkin’ high and mighty for a squirt.” He took a step forward. “If you’d given us a chance to fight back, you’d be eating those words.” 

Lio simply turned his head to them, making a beckoning gesture with his fingers as flames collected around his feet. Piece by piece, his own armor formed around him, adding height to his stature as his motorcycle from yesterday formed behind him at the same time. He reclined on it casually, not taking his eyes off them, and the other two men took notice of how he fit much better in its seat now.

“You’re talking high and mighty yourself.” It was like his voice was an octave deeper now, sounding almost gravelly from under his helmet. “Why don’t you  _ make me  _ eat my words?”

“You--!!” Before Gueira could get another word in, however, Lio had already jumped his bike off the edge of the mountain, speeding down its slope and setting all the nearby dry shrubbery ablaze. “Gah, I know he’s cool and all, but I wanna teach that squirt a lesson in manners!” Within moments, he was in armor again, with his ATV forming next to him. “Come on, Meis!”

“Way ahead of you.” True to his word, Meis had summoned his own armor and bike as well, hurrying to follow Gueira down the slope as they followed Lio into the empty span of land below.

\---

When they reached the valley below, Lio was already waiting, leaning forward and resting his chin on one of his hands propped up on his bike’s handlebar. He faced Gueira and Meis as they approached, his other hand drumming gently on his bike.

“You ready for an asskicking, kid?!” Gueira shouted from where he and Meis had parked. “Just tell us how you wanna do this and we’ll do it!”

“Hm.” The younger Burnish sat up, reclining back in his seat. “You two,” he gestured at them with two fingers before pointing at himself with his thumb, “fight me. It’s that simple.”

“You don’t consider that unfair?” Meis asked. “It’s your funeral then! Gueira! Let’s show him what we can do!”

“Right!” With a squeal from their tires, both of them barreled towards Lio, before branching off in two different directions so they were coming at him from two different angles.

Lio stayed in place the entire time, his gaze switching back and forth between the two as they both closed in on him. Though they both gunned straight for him, he suddenly turned his bike with a loud rev as he drove straight for Meis.

The sudden charge towards him evidently threw Meis off in surprise. From past experience, usually their opponents were sitting ducks until the last moment, unable to decide where to run or whether to attack out of fear. Yet even now he remained unfazed as he ducked forward, pushing his bike to the highest speed it could even as he weaved from side to side. As he neared Lio and his bike, he prepared the appendages on his shoulders to strike. It was a special trick of his that he honed over the years, to survey the target quickly and find some kind of weak point to strike as he passed. He figured a direct hit to Lio’s armor would suffice. Meis usually prided himself on being able to survey these situations and react accordingly at a moment’s notice.

But this time, he didn’t account for Lio suddenly leaning away from his range before reaching out and grabbing him by one of his appendages as the two bikes scraped against each others’ sides. 

With a startled cry, Meis suddenly felt his body lurching back, his grip on his bike’s handlebar suddenly gone as Lio snatched him out of his seat. Suddenly, the older Burnish’s body was scraping against the ground, dragged along the rocks and sand before he felt himself get flung from Lio’s hold. 

He barely had enough time to stand again and straighten up to avoid getting rammed by Lio’s bike. He stood there numbly, trying to decide on his options as the younger Burnish spun his bike around from a short distance away, creating a huge cloud of dust in the distance as he gunned straight for Meis again.

At the speed he was traveling, Meis had no time to summon his bike again and speed away. His only options were to either try to dodge (a risky move with the sheer speed of the bike coming his way) or try to intercept the blow (which had a very good chance of ending badly for him)--

“Gotcha!!” 

Meis let out another startled grunt as he suddenly felt something large close around his waist. Once more, the wind was knocked out of his lungs as he was snatched off the ground and held up in the air by Gueira as he drove by.

“Gueira!!” he shouted over the wind. 

“Hah! Saved ya!”

“Could you  _ be  _ any rougher?!” Despite his gratitude, he squirmed in discomfort.

“Whine about it later!” He focused his attention to driving. “Got a plan for this?!”

It only took a second for Meis to decide on a plan, one of many maneuvers they practiced over the years. “Blast him, then throw me over.”

“Got it! Hang tight for a moment!”

Meis nodded even as he dangled uselessly in Gueira’s grasp. The ATV’s wheels squealed as Gueira turned the vehicle around, with it teetering to the side and threatening to roll over. He reared his head and arms back before thrusting them forward, sending five blasts of fire towards Lio as he gunned for them. Each blast missed as he weaved through, sending dirt and dust flying into the air and slowing him just a little.

“Ready?!” Gueira shouted, drawing back the arm that held Meis, fixing his grip.

“Don’t miss this time!” 

“I’ll try!” With a confident cackle, he launched Meis into the air, sending him tumbling once through open skies before he straightened up, aiming a leg down just as Lio emerged through the dust clouds, looking up and barely having time to raise a solid flame wall as he braked hard.

Evidently, the barrier wasn’t enough, as Meis broke through with a shout, his armored leg connecting with Lio’s arm. The two tumbled to the ground, with Meis taking a moment to orient himself again and stand.

Rising immediately and stretching his neck from side to side, Lio sent two streams of flames into the ground, encircling Meis and erecting walls of fire around them. Without taking his eyes off of Meis, Lio’s hand grabbed onto one of the spires of fire erupting from the ground, taking it like a solid object in his hand and spinning it in his fingers before it took the cohesive shape of a blade.

In all his years of being Burnish, Meis had never seen anyone attempt to use their flames in such a manner. “Show-off, huh?” was all he could manage to say with a slack jaw before he found himself reflexively raising one of his arm blades to intercept Lio’s blade. 

Yet even with a successful parry, Lio continued to strike, slashing in every direction he found an opening in. He forced Meis back little by little with every blow until the sound of Gueira’s ATV broke through the wall of flames surrounding them, followed by Gueira himself crying out in excitement.

“MY TURN, KID!!” he screamed, leaping through the wall and jumping off his ATV to ram into Lio. The two tumbled a short distance before Gueira slammed a hand down on Lio’s helmet. “How do you like that, hu--?!”

He was caught off guard by Lio’s leg kicking straight into his chest, knocking him back with more force than anyone anticipated. As Gueira stumbled back, Lio followed up with a strike to his helmet with his blade, before blocking and parrying an incoming swing from Meis. He ducked under Meis’ follow-up strike before knocking him down effortlessly with one elbow to the chest. 

Gueira let out another angry shout as he swung a fist at Lio, only for his fist to be caught in Lio’s with only some struggle, and pushed back. Meis took the chance to sweep at Lio’s feet with his leg, only for the young man to grab Gueira’s arm and throw him into Meis with a vocal grunt of effort.

_ Just how was he so strong?! _

With Gueira on top of him, Meis could only turn his head to watch as Lio summoned a bow in front of him, notching multiple arrows of flame on it and firing at the downed duo. In mere seconds, they were coated in heavy Burnish flames all around them, pinning them down and squeezing them tight.

It was burning hot, just the perfect temperature for a Burnish to enjoy. But this time, they very decidedly did not enjoy the heat rising to their faces as they struggled under the weight of Lio's flames.

When the flames finally dispersed, Gueira and Meis were armorless once again. The former immediately shoved himself upright, a look of displeasure on his face as he watched Lio approach in a complacent stride.

“You’re not bad, I’ll admit,” Lio sighed as his armor dissipated around him. He looked to Meis, who took his time standing back up. “Meis. You’ve got a good design for your armor. Fast, but efficient. A little on the fragile side, but you know how to make up for it.” He looked to Gueira. “But as for you…”

“... Quit looking at me like that,” Gueira grumbled threateningly, rubbing his arm.

“I can understand wanting to compensate, but with a top-heavy armor like that, it’s hard to even take you seriously.”

“What was that?!” Gueira snapped, hands balled into fists as he took a threatening step forward. 

Meis caught him by the shoulder with a grimace, shaking his head once Gueira snapped to turn his head to him. “Gueira...”

“I’m only saying what I think,” Lio said gently. “If we want the best chance out of saving the other Burnish, there has to be some changes to your battle strategy.”

“Well, I don’t remember putting  _ you _ in charge!!” Gueira said. “The hell do you think you are, barging in like you own the group?!”

Lio blinked, unsure how to answer at first. “... Right. I’m sorry,” he said, averting his gaze but not quite looking at the ground. His expression didn’t change. “I got a little ahead of myself.”

“Listen here, you may be strong and you may be hot shit, but I--”

“Gueira,” Meis interrupted. “Go take a break.” Gueira whirled around to glare at Meis. “Let’s just all take a break… Cool down a little.”

“... Fine,” Gueira spat, kicking a rock and summoning his ATV again. He hopped on once again. “I’m going for a drive. I’ll see y’all back at the cave...”

\---

“For someone who makes such a huge set for himself, he’s incredibly short-tempered and feisty,” Lio suddenly said once he and Meis arrived back at the cave.

It took all of Meis’ willpower to stay neutral, though he couldn’t resist the urge to glare at Lio and make sure he saw it. He saw the young man’s eyes briefly flicker to look at him, before staring straight ahead again. 

“He used to have a weak constitution,” Meis started as they walked inside. They briefly hung around the entrance, watching the rest of the Mad Burnish chat amongst themselves deeper into the cave.

“... What do you mean?”

Meis considered his next words carefully. He cursed himself for his hastiness. Maybe it wasn’t right for him to spill Gueira’s life story to this kid, but he’d already mentioned the part that Gueira hated letting people know about against his better judgment. He kept his voice low. “He wasn’t always that strong. Always wanted to be, though. He tried out for sports, he tried training. Everything. It just never worked out for him until he turned.”

Lio nodded slowly, listening intently.

“I don’t think he’d ever admit it, but I think… he likes making himself bigger so he can feel as strong as he wants to be. And he  _ is  _ strong that way. We’ve just never met and fought a Burnish like you. You get it?”

“... I think,” Lio said after a short pause. “I… kind of used to be like that too.”

Meis nodded with pursed lips. “Yeah, so you’d know how he feels, right? So word of advice, maybe don’t poke at his armor size if you want us on your side. And don’t go around trying to change strangers either, kid. Gueira’s perfect as he is… Or, his armor is, anyway.”

“... All right. I’m sorry for implying otherwise.” He looked to the side, with Meis swearing he could see a pout curl his lip. “... Should we be worried about him being out there by himself?”

Meis sighed. “Times like these, he just wants to be alone. Don’t worry about him,” he said. “I’ve learned from experience…”

“It’s dangerous out there, though,” Lio urged. “What if the Freeze Force finds him?”

“They’re not gonna find him. But… it would put my mind at ease too if he weren’t alone. I think you ought to go after him.”

Despite the breach in logic, Lio was already forming his bike again and hopping on. “I was planning on it. You should stay here and watch over the others.”

Before Meis could say anything else, Lio sped off. Meis shook his head and sighed. “I was planning on it, but you went off anyway…” He turned and walked back inside the cave.

The dozen other Mad Burnish members inside had been chatting until they saw Meis enter. They sat in little circles, some set apart from each other, yet they all stopped talking and turned to face Meis as he approached. These kinds of moments made Meis wish that he wasn’t alone, that Gueira would be there to do the talking. 

He squinted upon doing a headcount of their group. “We’re missing a few of us,” he said.

One of the men whose names Meis hadn’t memorized yet spoke up. “Yeah, uh, that Lio guy sent a couple of them out earlier today to do some scoutin’.”

Meis frowned. “He isn’t authorized to send scouts out like that. This is the first I’ve heard of this.”

“Sorry Boss, we thought you gave him permission?”

“Did he say we gave him permission to give orders?”

“No, he just kinda… asked if some of us could ride around and take a look at the area.” 

“That’s it?”  _ Probably to look for a new place for us to stay… _ He looked around the inside of the cave. With how quickly they had to make their escape from the Freeze Force, they had little food and even less in terms of comfort items. Nobody had any blankets to sleep on, much less any pillows. Though the remaining Mad Burnish members looked tough, he had little doubt they were uncomfortable in their care. “Hm. The others will hopefully come back on their own… if not, we’ll send a party out at night. But while it’s still light out, some of us ought to go search for food. Anyone wanna come with?”

There was a brief silence as the other members exchanged glances. Another one spoke up. “By the way… where did Lio and Gueira go?”

“Complicated story…” Meis muttered, scratching the back of his neck. “... What, so nobody wants to go with me? I’ll pick then. Charle, Reiss, you’re coming with me.”

The two aforementioned members sighed and stood. “Yes, Boss.”

“Is there a problem?”

“Not a problem at all…”

He dropped it at that.

\---

It had taken a long time for Lio to catch any sight of Gueira. He certainly hadn’t made it easy for Lio, but the youth had no intention of leaving any stone unturned. Thus, the afternoon was spent searching the vast desert landscape for any sign of the older Burnish. He found many structures along the way, keeping track of them in his mind as he mentally checked off each significant landmark. At some point he caught sight of a few dying trails of fire, leading him to what was probably an old ranch. By the time Lio found him, he was already clad in armor again and making a blaze on some abandoned building, haphazardly letting it light up the darkening sky. It was a miracle that there were no Freeze Force tanks around to notice.

“So  _ this  _ is how you blow off steam?” Lio snarked as he pulled up to the site.

_ FWOOSH!! _

It hadn’t taken more than a single enlarged fireball to set fire to the abandoned homestead Gueira had taken to. Lio simply stood off to the side as he watched the old, rustic building burned brightly. 

His arrival caught Gueira’s attention almost immediately. “What’re you doing here?” he growled as he turned to acknowledge Lio.

“Was worried you’d get into trouble on your own out here,” Lio said. He hopped off his bike and approached, turning his attention to the giant bonfire that used to be a homestead. “It’s a miracle you haven’t yet.”

“Hmph!” Gueira formed another fireball between his hands and reared his arm back, once more preparing to throw it. “I can take care of myself without some hotshot kid checking up on me!” He cried out as he hurled the fireball into the already-burning building, reducing it to a pile of wooden and rubble.

Lio blinked, apparently impressed. “Wow.”

“Yeah, wow is right!” Gueira cheered, flexing his armor’s arms. “See that?! That’s the real power this baby’s got!”

“You’re a lot chipper now.”

Gueira ignored the comment as he threw another fireball at the building, causing splinters to fly everywhere. “You got something to say?!”

“Your flame really is strong,” Lio said simply. He extended his arms toward the fire, as if he could feel the heat radiating from the blazing building past his gloves. “Perhaps I did underestimate you.”

“Hah?” Gueira sauntered back to where Lio stood, his armor willingly falling apart around him as he admired his piece of work. “Mind saying that again?”

“Of course, you’re still reckless and clumsy in battle” Lio shrugged. “But you can definitely make up for it with firepower like that.”

“...”

“Did you play sports before, Gueira?”

“I…” He scratched the back of his head. “I used to play football. I mean, I never made it onto the school team, but…”

“Really?” He looked at Gueira with a look of genuine surprise on his face.

“Kid, you realize without the armor I’m just skin and bones, right?”

“You realize you’re talking to someone even skinnier than you. I have no place to judge.”

“Wow, so you  _ can _ crack a joke!” A brief laugh escaped Gueira’s lips as he smiled. It faded soon, however. “... What, did Meis tell you about my tragic backstory or some shit? There’s no way you woulda thought I’d like sports otherwise.”

“Maybe he did. But I probably could’ve come to the conclusion on my own. The way you throw those fireballs, for instance.”

“What?

Lio reared his arm back as if mimicking the movement. “That’s how you throw a football, right?”

“... Huh.” He hadn’t realized that before. Was that not how every Burnish hurled their flames? Probably not.  “Old habits die hard I guess… Whatever. It’s all in the past, but I guess some parts are always gonna catch up.”

“You don’t like living in the past, do you?”

“Why should I?” Gueira scoffed. “My life wasn’t exactly puppies and rainbows before. I'd be glad to forget about it, for the most part."

“What was it like, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I mind you asking.”

Lio clicked his tongue. “My apologies, then.”

“... Y’know kid,” Gueira sat down and rested his cheek on his hand, propped up by his knee, “you’re a real enigma.”

“I’d appreciate it if you stopped calling me ‘kid.’” He locked eyes with Gueira, glaring. “What are you talking about now?”

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed how fancy-shmancy you dress. And the way you talk… You some kinda rich boy or something?”

“No,” he answered curtly. “I mean, my family was decently well-off, but I wouldn’t have called us ‘rich.’” He looked down, fixing his gloves. “I just happen to like dressing this way.”

Gueira nodded slowly. “I see, I see. My bad, then.”

“It’s fine.” Lio returned his gaze to the blazing homestead in front of them. “I’m used to people making fun of my tastes.”

Hearing those words uttered so matter-of-factly sent a dull pain through Gueira’s heart. “Oh.” He scratched at his hair again, looking away. He knew how  _ that  _ felt. “... I think it’s pretty cool--”

“You don’t have to agree with my tastes,” Lio cut him off. “I happen to like what I like. That’s all that matters to me. I learned to not care about what other people think of my interests.”

Gueira found himself nodding again. He managed to give something that crossed between a scoff and a laugh. “Wow, you really are mature. Wish I coulda adopted that thought when I was your age…”

“Mm?”

He leaned back with a sigh, craning his head to the sky. “I mean, kids are still gonna be cruel. No matter what you try, people out there are always gonna try to bring you down. Even when you try your hardest.”

“... So it was true that...”

“Yeah.” He paused, unsure of what he wanted to say. Despite not wanting to talk about his past, he found himself talking about it anyway. “I was a weakass little punk who wanted to play sports. Football, specifically. Could you imagine? A guy without any muscle whatsoever, playing football?” He laughed sadly and patted his bicep for emphasis. Even a life of surviving on the run did little to bulk him up. “Boy did I catch hell for even trying. Y’know, Meis had to step in to save me from some assholes when we were in like, I think it was junior year? Heh, I couldn’t even fight my own battles before I became Burnish…”

Lio shifted uncomfortably in his seat, leading Gueira to finally look at him. The younger Burnish was staring at him now, a glint of cautious curiosity in his eyes. Somehow, he already had a feeling as to what he was about to ask. “So was that how you…?”

“Turned?” Lio nodded hesitantly. Gueira averted his eyes, staring at the open palm of his hand as a flame sprung to life automatically. “No.”

“Ah. I’m sorry, I won’t pry further.”

“Nah, it’s all right. It happened like, five years ago.” A sigh escaped his lips as he shook his hand. “Fuck it, I don’t mind telling you at this point. It was ‘cause of my dad.”

“You don’t have to say anymore.”

The sudden twinge in his heart made him thankful to hear it. Perhaps he wasn’t over it still, despite the pain from years ago. “I won’t.”

“... I’m sorry, by the way.”

“What was that?”

“For being insensitive earlier.”

Gueira scoffed, looking away. “Whatever. It’s old news now.”

“Your armor does have its strong points,” Lio admitted. “It’s tough and able to withstand attacks. It’s harder to take down. I would just think you’d have to be more careful to not get outsped.”

“You don’t have to suck up to me. You already know I’m not changing my armor and all that.” He sighed and looked down at his hands. “As long as Meis and I can protect the people we have left, I think that’s good enough for me. I shouldn’t have to care what people think.”

Lio scooted closer to him, talking in a low voice as if he were sharing a secret. “Meis thinks you’re perfect the way you are.” Gueira looked at him. “Or, well, your armor is, anyway. He’s known you for way longer than I have, so I guess he does make a better judge here.”

Gueira felt the corner of his lip tug upward into a smile. “Maybe. Guess it is jarring to hear what someone else has to say.” He leaned back. “‘Specially if that someone  _ has _ been a brat all day…”

“... What do you think… of my armor?” Lio asked after a long pause. “It’s only fair I hear you pick apart at mine, is why I ask…”

Gueira blinked, mulling over words in his mouth. This kid was full of surprises. Just when he thought he had him figured out, he’d turn those expectations on his head. “It’s pretty fucking sweet actually, gotta admit,” he finally settled on saying aloud. “I mean, come to think of it, you’re a hypocrite and all, saying I’m compensating for something when you gain like three feet outta your armor.” He resisted the urge to laugh at Lio’s pout. “... It’s a stab to my pride and all, but you’ve got a really good balance. Strong but fast at the same time. It really suits you.”

“But is it going to be enough…?”

“Enough for what?”

Lio didn’t answer at first. 

“Lio?”

“I’m sorry, I'm thinking, is all. I’ve had plans in my head on what to do once I found the support to go through with it. I can’t share anything just yet.”

“What? Boo,” Gueira stuck his tongue out. “Y’know, I realize I’m not the best person around and I was a hardass all day, but you ought to start trusting us sooner or later. 'Specially since you're part of the family now."

“...”

“Well, whatever. I see where you’re coming from. Just open up whenever you feel like it, all right?”

Lio looked down, his gaze cloudy with uncertainty.  _ Whatever he went through,  _ Gueira thought,  _ must’ve really hammered him with trust issues.  _ “... Okay.”

The flames in front of them were dying away little by little, crackling as it fought to stay lit. A long silence fell over the two.

The silence was suddenly broken by the sound of Lio’s stomach growling. Gueira immediately snapped his head to look as Lio’s eyes widened in surprise, his hands clutching his stomach.

“Hungry?” he couldn’t help but ask teasingly.

“I haven’t eaten much today…” the younger man admitted.

“Did you eat at  _ all? _ ”

“...”

“Come on, dude, let’s head back. We’ll relax for a while. Get morale boosted a little back at the cave with everyone else. And get some food in you.”

“Okay…”

\---

The day eventually bled to night as the two found their way back to the cave, to be greeted by Meis at the entrance, tapping his foot impatiently. The ride back had been quiet, almost uncomfortably so. So for Gueira, approaching Meis as Lio pushed his way back inside was a welcome sight.

“You two sure took a long time,” Meis snarked as he followed Gueira inside. He watched as Gueira immediately took a can of soup and handed it over to Lio. “How’d it go? Did you two have fun?”

“Guess you could say that,” Gueira shrugged as he snatched up his own can of soup. They watched as Lio retreated to the front of the cave once more. Gueira spoke in a lower voice as he stood next to Meis. “He’s not a bad kid. Kinda shy, but he means well.”

Meis chuckled. “Your opinion of him sure changed fast.”

“What do  _ you  _ think of him?”

Meis pondered over the question for a moment. “Dunno, actually.”

“I think he’s planning something now, though. Guess we just gotta wait and see if he’ll trust us with it… So what did you do the rest of the afternoon?”

“I went out with Charle and Reiss to find food,” Meis said, jerking a thumb at the box of soup they secured. "Not much in the way of other stuff though, so I hope chicken noodle makes a good 'Soup of the Day.'"

“Oh, sweet! Thanks, man. Those two didn’t give you a hard time, did they?”

“...” Meis stayed silent.

“... What did they do?” Gueira asked, almost threateningly.

“They didn’t do anything,” Meis sighed. “I don’t think they’re that fond of me, is all.”

“What? Bullshit.” He scoffed. “You’re super likable, dude. If they give you hell for anything, direct them to me, will ya?”

“It’s not that,” Meis explained. “I think… they’re still upset about losing their kid yesterday.”

“... Oh.” With them being some of the newer members of Mad Burnish, he had forgotten about the relationships they had. It took him a moment to remember the details about those two specifically. They had a son, a youngster named Percy, who was no doubt caught up in the attack from Freeze Force and likely taken away to a holding facility. “Shit, of course…”

“I don’t blame them if they blame me,” Meis sighed. “Seems like everyone’s just as frosty…”

“You want me to say something?” Gueira asked. He cocked an eyebrow and pounded his fist in his palm, only to receive a glare from Meis in return. “What? It’s a joke, man. Lighten up. If they blame you, they ought to blame me too. So we'll shoulder it together."

Meis’ frown disappeared within moments. “Right." He cleared his throat. "Also, there’s something you ought to know. Apparently Lio gave orders earlier to send scouts into the area for a survey.”

“What? I never gave him the authority to do that.”

“Neither did I, but the grunts did it anyway. They just came back, actually…” He jerked a thumb over at the aforementioned scouts, who were now talking to Lio. “They’re even reporting back to him…”

“Huh…” Gueira crossed his arms. “I’ll have a talk with them later. Lio too.” He turned to watch as Lio hesitantly took some food for himself. “For now, though… kid really needs to eat. You rest up too, Meis. You look deadass tired.”

“I hardly did anything worthwhile today.”

“You still look tired. Go turn in early. I’ll join you in a bit.”

\---

The next day, Meis awoke once more to the sound of the other members of Mad Burnish chattering amongst themselves. With his arm once more pinned under Gueira’s head as the redhead continued to snore, he turned his head instead to catch sight of Lio talking to some of the other Burnish. He couldn’t quite understand what they were discussing from the distance, so instead his eyes focused on Lio himself.

Though he was mostly quiet and well-mannered (despite that saucy tongue of his), he stood upright and looked the other Burnish in the eyes as he spoke to them. He kept his arms crossed, breathing an air of confidence as he seemed to give them instructions on… something. Or maybe he was just chatting? But no, the way he handed over a box of soup cans told Meis he was distributing supplies for the day again. 

_ Just two days and he’s already taking charge… _

Meis huffed a short breath and turned his head to the cave ceiling. Being a leader amongst the Burnish for years still somehow hadn’t helped in some of his personal issues, namely his reluctance to deal with individual Burnish with the same relative ease as Gueira, and now Lio. He wasn’t  _ unable  _ to hold a conversation, but unless it was strictly about business, he found himself disliking talking for too long. Eventually he’d be the one to duck out of talking with whoever he ended up talking to. It was odd to him, how discomforting it had always been. 

And yet, he couldn’t help but feel… strangely jealous, at the sight of Lio integrating himself so easily with the others. Even Gueira seemed to be more friendly with him when they came back from their drive last night. 

His thoughts were interrupted by said redhead stirring and finally waking up. 

“Morning,” Meis said as Gueira finally got off his arm. 

“Morning…” he said back with a yawn. “Lio's already up?”

“Bet your ass.” Meis sat up. “Come on, let’s go relieve him of duty.”

The morning had consisted of Meis and Gueira keeping inventory, discussing possible plans for another raid for supplies, and checking in with each and every member that was still around to see if they were doing okay enough. The entire time, Lio hung back respectfully, keeping to himself and letting the two perform their duties without butting in. 

There was something… off about the atmosphere, Meis noticed. He couldn’t help but feel wary of the eyes falling on him and Gueira as they discussed current matters with some of the other Burnish. He didn’t miss Charle and Reiss talking to some of the other Burnish and suddenly stopping as he and Gueira passed by.

There was no time to worry about it though, he supposed. But it was yet another thing to check on later.

When the other Mad Burnish were taken care of and given instructions to keep a lookout, Meis finally let himself lean back against the cave wall and have a can of soup while Gueira took care of other matters. 

Lio apparently found it an appropriate time to approach, a half-empty can of soup in hand too. “How is everyone?” he asked.

“Everyone’s holding up alright,” Meis said as he gently swished his can’s contents before taking a sip. “Maybe a little antsy without any activity. But it’s best we rest up for now and re-gather supplies for the long haul.”

“...” Lio looked down at the floor without a word. 

“Something wrong?”

“... Nothing. It just feels too quiet out here.”

“Our scouts have reported it’s pretty safe around here.” He looked out the cave entrance. “We have a good vantage point from here. We’ll be able to see what goes on. Should be able to see any Freeze Force bastards coming this way too.”

“You can’t be too careful though. I’ve lost a lot of friends because we had that mindset…”

“... I see…” Save for what had happened before they met Lio, it wasn’t all  _ too  _ often that Meis and Gueira lost Burnish to the Freeze Force. But they had lost many faces they’d gotten to know throughout the years. He grimaced at the memories of screaming and futile sprints away from danger as he finished off his breakfast. Yuriika and Blair came to mind in particular. “There’s nothing we can do but move forward. And keep morale up.”

“I guess you have a point.” Lio gazed out to the open valley and swished the soup around in his can, looking down at it. “... I want to apologize.”

“What for?”

“For overstepping boundaries and taking control when I wasn’t meant to.” When Meis didn’t respond, he continued. “I… suppose I’m not used to it. I used to lead a group of Burnish before, just like you two. So I suppose… I got too into the habit of things.”

“You led a group? You’re so young, though.”

“They relied on me for my flame.” He opened his palm, releasing a few embers. “They entrusted me because they thought I could lead them well. No other adult trusted themselves to do it, so I stepped up. And I still let them down… They were all captured because I couldn’t save them. Not a single one.”

“... I’m sorry,” Meis finally said. “You did the best you could.”

“I didn’t. That’s why now I want to make up for it. For them.”

“For what it’s worth, you’re already a huge help,” Meis said with a smile. Lio looked up at him. “Really. Truth be told, Gueira and I were given the role for pretty much the same reasons as you. Last leader didn’t feel adequate and thought we’d be better. Though… after what happened the other day, I have doubts about that…”

“You did what you could,” Lio said. 

“Yeah, and it wasn’t enough. So we're not so different. You get where we’re coming from and we get where you are.”

“... That’s kind of reassuring.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Lio looked down at the cavern floor, a long silence following. “... Meis. Do you and Gueira have a plan from here?”

“Plan for?”

“How to move forward.”

He didn’t answer at first. “Not exactly…”

“You don’t know where to go from here?”

He shook his head. “It’s hard to think after everything’s that’s happened. We’ve never lost this many people… I don’t think the others are well enough to keep moving just yet after that loss. And we don’t have much of a plan anyway besides maybe move on and find somewhere else to stay like you suggested.” 

“That’s understandable… In that case, I can see why we aren’t mobilizing yet.” Lio adjusted his gloves, suddenly finding them interesting. “... I have some thinking to do.”

“About?”

“A lot. I’ll tell you if I think of anything worthwhile.”

That was another thing that piqued Meis’ interest: the way Lio worked on his own. There was no doubt a compassionate soul under all that black leather and sass, but beyond that it was difficult to tell what the youth was thinking. He had implied that he had his own big agenda days ago. What Gueira told him about their one-on-one last night only furthered that theory. Yet now it was apparent he was still drafting plans in that head of his. 

Meis nodded with pursed lips as silence fell over them. He shifted on his foot before turning to leave. “I’m gonna get some fresh air. You’re free to join.”

“I’m fine for now.”

_ Fine by me.  _ With that, Meis put down his empty can and strode outside to find Gueira sitting at the edge of the slope leading down to the valley. In his hands, he played with a bright pink fireball in his hands, tossing it from one hand to the other as if it were a regular old ball. 

“Gueira,” Meis said as he came to stand by him. He was looking out at the distance, barely acknowledging Meis. “Lot on your mind?”

A sigh escaped him. “Yeah,” he admitted. “Just thinking.”

Meis nodded solemnly. “About?”

“... A lot.”

Meis crouched beside him wordlessly. 

Gueira sighed, still not quite looking at him. “... I miss the kids,” he said simply. “... How could we be so careless? They were all counting on us and we just... We let them down.”

“We’ll avenge them somehow.”

“Especially the kids… I hope they’re okay.” He looked up at the valley ahead of them. “They really wanted to be part of Mad Burnish when they got older. I wonder if they’d still wanna be after all the shit that happened.”

“I wanna hope they wouldn’t do anything drastic to the kids.”

Gueira looked at him with an expression pinned between weary and guilt-ridden. “We don’t know that.”

Meis said nothing in response, his eyes falling to the ball of bright pink and now red flames in Gueira’s hands. Over time he came to realize that sometimes Gueira liked to play with his flames when in deep thought. He liked to keep his hands busy like that, especially with few forms of entertainment on the run. Still, this fireball had a distinct shape, so close to becoming a solid mass of flames in his palms. “... Hey, what’s that?”

“This?” Gueira gestured to the fireball, to which Meis nodded. A brief chuckle escaped him. “I dunno if you saw before, but the kids and I were trying to come up with a game after  _ someone  _ popped our only ball a couple weeks ago.”

“It was a  _ reflex, _ ” Meis huffed. “Could you blame me? You shouldn’t send a ball flying at someone’s face at 180 miles an hour.” The memory of him summoning his armor by instinct and accidentally popping the group’s only dodgeball flashed in his mind. Not his proudest moment. 

“Pfft, I gotta say those  _ were  _ impressive reflexes. Anyway, they wanted to see if we could use flames for a ball. Like, make one like we make our armor and stuff.”

Meis raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Okay fine, it was  _ my  _ idea.”

That cracked a smile on Meis’ face. “That’s what I thought. But—“

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he scoffed with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “It would’ve been  _ too dangerous  _ and the kids aren’t good enough at controlling their flames yet.”

“At least you’re aware,” Meis said with a small smile. If there was one thing he admired Gueira for, it was his ability to snap back from depressing topics so seemingly easily. “Though maybe it would’ve worked.”

“You think?”

“Why don’t we try it out?”

“What,  _ now? _ ”

“Well, why not? We’re sitting ducks until we can figure out what to do. Maybe this’ll get our juices flowing. And a little exercise is good for you.”

Gueira’s gaze bounced between Meis and his creation, all semblances of deep thought and sadness leaving him, at least momentarily. He cracked a smile. “... All right. Let’s go long.”

—

It didn’t take long to descend the long slope down to the valley again, where there was less burnable shrubbery and more space to move freely without fear of tripping up. From where the two stood, they could see the entrance to their temporary home, as well as a few of their friends watching from the cliffside.

Gueira snickered to himself as he tossed his fireball between his hands, backing up as Meis did. “You sure about this?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Meis called back, stopping a good distance away.

“Well, I don’t wanna brag, but I like to think I’ve gotten  _ pretty _ good at tossing the ol’ pigskin over the years.”

“Oh yeah?” Meis gave a crooked smile as memories of them playing football back home returned to his mind (as did a few shameful memories of getting nailed in the face with said ball). “Show me then.”

“Okay!” Gueira reared his arm back, his flames coating it up to his shoulder before forming his armor’s giant claw hand. With a cry of effort, he launched the fireball far into the distance and sailing into the sky, much farther than any star quarterback at their old high school could’ve thrown. 

“What the—?!” Meis’ eyes widened as they followed the trail sailing above him. “What kinda throw—?!” Without thinking, his armor formed around him, as did his bike under him. Within seconds he was blazing down the valley, following the fireball even as it quickly approached the ground. Leaping off his bike, he dove for the fireball just as it collided with the ground, creating a crater where it landed.

Meis got up with a groan as he reached for the ball pathetically with the tip of his arm, rolling it over to his hands. Even in the far distance, he could hear Gueira’s laugh.

“You actually went for that?!” he heard. “Even in your armor?!”

“Why did you throw it that far?!” Meis yelled back with grit teeth.

A pause.

“What did you say?!”

“WHY DID YOU THROW IT THAT FAR?!”

“WHAT?!”

“WHY DID--” With a frustrated grunt, Meis instead opted to throw the ball into the air, before leaping up and kicking it back at Gueira with as much force as his armor would allow.

_ SHING!! _

A loud ring resonated in the air followed by what Meis interpreted as Gueira’s surprised yelp. In the distance he could make out the now fully-armored Gueira running on all fours before making a similar dive for the ball. The shower of dust and sand in the air followed by a pained (albeit not so serious) grunt told him just how successful Gueira was in his attempt. Smirking to himself, Meis hopped back on his bike and began to ride back…

… only to find the ball barrelling straight towards him again within the span of a few seconds. Startled, he debated catching it or steering clear of its path for a split second before the ball made a decision for him, nailing him square in the chest and knocking him off his bike.

“Argh…! Asshole…!” Meis growled as he got up, taking the ball in hand again.

“Too rough for you?!” Gueira shouted tauntingly, now closer. 

“More like not rough enough!!” With yet another cry of effort, Meis struck the fireball back at Gueira with his bladed arm, sending it flying straight for him.

An outstretched hand, also now encased in armor, caught the ball this time, however.

“What are you two doing?” Lio asked, now dressed in his own armor and standing between the two men. “Is now  _ really  _ a good time to be messing around?”

“When did you get--” Gueira shrug off his question. “Cut us some slack! This is between us, all right? Unless the little kid wants to play too?”

Lio wordlessly turned to Gueira. “...”

A metaphorical lightbulb flashed in Meis’ head. “If he’s in his armor, then that means he was interested…” he mused with a snicker. 

Lio turned to him next. “...” Then he looked to the ball now sitting in his hand. 

“We won’t judge if you wanna play, Lio!” Gueira said, almost in a sing-song voice. “C’mon! You know you want to!~”

After a moment of contemplation, Lio reared his arm back and launched the ball high into the air and far into the distance. 

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Gueira cheered as he formed his ATV. He leapt into its seat and kicked it into throttle, chasing after it.

“Hey!” Meis clicked his tongue and followed closely on his bike, speeding off just ahead of Gueira as they both trained their eyes on the ball falling to the ground. “No you don’t!” With that, he leapt off his bike again, arms outstretched to catch it.

“No  _ you  _ don’t!!” Gueira growled, his hand catching Meis’ leg and slamming him into the ground. Meis cried out, though more in annoyance than pain, as Gueira cackled upon catching the ball in his other hand. “I did it! How do you like that?! Lio, incoming!”

Before Meis could retort, Gueira launched the ball back towards Lio. Rather than catch it like normal, however, he instead opted to summon a Burnish sword once more. Silently, he leapt high into the air, swinging his sword back before slamming it into the ball and sending it back.

“This one’s mine!” Meis exclaimed, swiping his legs into Gueira’s and tripping him forward. He stepped over his armor, using it as a footstool to boost himself into the air and finally catch the ball without any trouble.

“You little--!” Gueira’s hand grabbed onto Meis’ leg again, yanking him off his back even as a borderline-childish laugh escaped Meis (a rare sound if Gueira ever heard one). “Oh, you’re having  _ fun _ , huh?!”

In the back of his mind, Meis questioned just how far they must’ve fallen from grace to be so entertained by a game of catch. In any other situation, he would’ve scoffed at playing such a childish game. But hearing Gueira’s amused laughter helped to dispel those thoughts.

“You ought to see the look on your face,” Meis snickered. His attention snapped back to the sky, however, as Lio launched yet another ball, this time one of his own design. It sailed over their heads, thrown with enough power to send it hurtling a far distance. “Incoming!”

“Ooh, this one’s mine!” Gueira threw Meis off of him completely and re-summoned his ATV.

“Not on your life!” As soon as he recovered, Meis got back on his own bike. The two engines roared as they charged ahead, with Meis leaning forward and Gueira trying to grab and swipe at him with a mischievous cackle. “Quit it, you dick!”

“Think I’m letting you win this one that easy?!” he taunted as he managed to swipe the tip of his claw against Meis’ front tire. At the speed they were both riding, it was enough to send Meis off-balance. “Careful! Don’t trip up!” he cackled.

With a growl, Meis re-aligned his bike, kicking it back to the highest speed he could manage once he re-balanced himself. By that point, Gueira had already gained a great distance to the small canyon ahead of them, with the ball still rapidly approaching the ground once more. Meis’ eyes fell upon the slopes along the canyon’s sides, and soon he was guiding his bike to the slopes leading up the walls. 

Gueira had a hand raised to the air, fully confident in the assumption he’d catch this ball. His head turned suddenly to find Meis catching up and curving along the canyon, and Meis could only imagine the look of shock on his face from behind his helmet. 

Meis tightened his grip on his bike’s handlebars as his eyes followed the descending ball. With a grunt of effort, he threw himself into the air, jumping off his bike with arms outstretched. 

If only he’d had more practice for that stunt. 

He completely underestimated his jump’s angle and the speed at which Gueira was driving. Suddenly he was crashing into Meis, who cried out as he took on the full brunt of the hit. The world tumbled around him, with him and Gueira rolling over each other as they landed harshly on the ground. 

“Ow…!” Gueira, now without armor, groaned from underneath Meis, whose armor had also broken off from the loss of concentration. 

Meis opened his eyes, well aware of the fact he had landed over Gueira’s chest. He blinked and propped himself up to find him under him. He lingered there as he caught his breath, hair strands falling over Gueira’s face.

Despite the force of that crash, Gueira was laughing. “What was that, some kinda tack…” He opened his eyes, laughter dying down as he locked eyes with Meis. “...le?”

It wasn’t all that often that Meis could see Gueira let loose like this. Come to think of it, it was rare for  _ both  _ of them to have that much fun over something so simple. He couldn’t help but feel sentimental all of a sudden, looking down at Gueira staring right back at him with a silly grin. That same, youthful grin as back in high scho--

“Uh, Meis?”

Meis cleared his throat and quickly got off, dusting himself off. “Sorry. Sorry, I’m not great at… jumping.”

“It’s all good,” Gueira coughed as he was helped to his feet. 

Their attention snapped to Lio, now also without armor, as he slowed to a stop on his bike. He was smiling, and for a moment both Gueira and Meis didn’t recognize the soft-spoken but sassy teen they’d been slowly getting to know the past couple days. 

“Did you guys catch it—“ he stopped mid-sentence upon catching a glimpse of them getting up. 

“Almost. Until  _ someone  _ decided to try and tackle me,” Gueira said, jerking a thumb at Meis. 

Meis scoffed. “Did you honestly think I’d take that lying down?”

“Well, you were just now.”

“Shut up.” He continued to dust himself off, only to look up and find Lio staring at him. “... What?”

“Nothing,” Lio said hurriedly. His eyes drifted back to the ball forming again in his hands. “So… is that it?”

Gueira grinned. “Oh, does someone wanna play some more?~”

To their surprise, Lio looked to the side with what could only be described as a pout on his face. “... It’s kind of fun. And it does make for good training…”

“Wanna go a few more rounds, then?”

\---

“So,” Meis stretched his neck to the side as he surveyed the two exhausted Burnish lying down in front of him. “Had fun, you guys?”

“That was…” Gueira caught his breath and sat up with a grin, “ _ so  _ fun _ . _ ”

“Agreed,” Lio said just as breathlessly. He stayed lying on the ground as he let out a tired laugh, not caring about the dirt on his clothes and hair. 

“Woooow,” Gueira chuckled. “So Lio can actually smile and laugh…”

“It’s a miracle…” Meis shook his head. 

“I haven’t had a chance to do something like that in a long time…” Lio lamented. “I can hardly remember…”

Meis watched as Gueira’s smile quickly faded from his lips. “How long ago was that?” he asked.

“It’s been months since I last had a group.”

“You’ve been alone for that long?” Meis asked with a wince. Lio turned to him with a straight-faced nod. “Damn, no wonder…”

“This was fun, though,” Lio said, a small smile now on his face once more. “I enjoyed that. A lot. So thanks.”

“Dude, same,” Gueira laughed, slapping a hand on Lio’s shoulder. “For a youngin’, you’ve got a real kick with that armor!”

“You say that like you’re old men…”

“Sure feels like it some days,” Meis said with a stretch of his back, feeling something crack as if on command. “There’s really no doubt about it, Lio. You’re probably the strongest Burnish to give us a run for our money.”

“That’s an honor to hear from you two,” Lio returned. “I could say the same to you.”

“What? No way,” Gueira scoffed. “What, are we seriously the strongest Burnish you know?”

“Yes. I’m quite sure of it now.” He turned to summon his bike, intent on heading back to the cave. “You two make a great power couple.”

Meis fought back the urge to splutter as his eyes darted to Gueira, who kept his eyes trained on Lio with a smile. “Well, we  _ have  _ been told we make a great team!” He slung an arm around Meis’ shoulder, pulling him closer. “Right, Meis?”

“R… Right…” He forced a smile as he looked to Lio and his all-knowing smile.

\---

“Hey,” Meis greeted sometime after they returned to the cave. Lio sat at the edge of the cliff, looking out to the setting sun. 

Lio looked up at him, stirring yet another can of soup in his hand. “Hey.”

“Enjoying the view?”

“Mm-hm. Care to join me?”

Meis sat next to him. “Had fun today?”

Without looking at him, Lio nodded. “It’s been years since I really got to let loose like that.”

The sun ahead of them was setting over the horizon now, the sky bleeding from orange to purple and blue. “That many years... When did you turn Burnish, anyway?"

Lio pondered over the question for a moment. “I turned when I was 16. Though, I’d been contained in holding facilities since I was… 10, I think.”

Meis looked at him in shock. “That young…? That’s fucking horrible.” He felt the can in his hand heat up, though just as quickly it cooled down. “Someone as young as you… Don’t tell me they actually experimented on you?”

A brief, tired sigh escaped Lio’s lips. “I was a special case. Freeze Force killed my parents right in front of me. They were Burnish runaways and never told us. Apparently it was supposed to be common for an event like that to be enough to make their kids Burnish too. I didn’t.”

“Then what made you turn?” He instantly regretted asking, even more so when Lio stayed silent for a scary few moments. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t pry--”

“They dissected my sister right in front of me,” Lio said, his voice much softer now. Meis found no words to respond with. He simply observed the features of his face change ever so slightly. He noticed the glimmer of sadness still lingering in Lio’s eyes, and the way his eyebrows furrowed just a little, no doubt in anger. He thought for sure Lio would start crying then and there, yet he didn’t.

“And you still insist on not killing off the Freeze Force…”

“My family raised me better than that,” Lio said simply. “I don’t mean to put down all your families when I say that, but--”

“Oh no, you’re fine,” Meis insisted. “Not a totally happy family life here, honestly.”

“I don’t think my parents would’ve wanted me to do that.”

Meis rested his chin on his knee, now pulled up to his chest. “... You shouldn’t be goin’ through this,” he said after a long while.

“What?”

“You’re still basically a kid, then,” Meis continued, “if all that shit happened to you at that young of an age.”

“I’m not a kid.” His voice was laced with more annoyance than anger. “I just grew up faster than I should’ve, if anything.”

“That’s basically the same thing,” Meis argued. “Even if you didn’t turn Burnish, that’s still way too much to be put through. Gueira and I were lucky to at least experience a mostly normal teenage...hood.”

“Adolescence.”

“Adolescence,” he nodded. “Sorry, I just… I don’t wanna sound condescending. But truth is I feel bad for you.”

“Well, don’t,” Lio said pointedly. “Feeling bad for me isn’t gonna change anything.”

“Still… You were robbed of a normal life.”

“Everyone here was.” He looked down at the valley below them. “... Meis.”

“Yeah?”

“What  _ was  _ high school like? Was it like how they made it look on TV?”

Meis made an uncertain sound. “I dunno if I’m the best person to ask that. I was always the loner kid.”

“Until Gueira came along?”

“Yeah.”

“High school’s overrated anyway. Everyone’s loud and annoying and always getting up in your business. Not to mention all the pointless busy work... Also, nobody I knew really threw those wild house parties like you see on TV.”

“What about dating?”

“What  _ about  _ dating?”

“What was it like?”

“Ehh…” Meis twirled his hair in his finger. “People kinda came and went for me,” he mumbled as he bought his can of soup to his lips.. “Nothing really worth worrying about… I barely have any good memories with dating.”

“What about with Gueira?”

Meis choked on his words along with his soup. He coughed once as he wiped the soup from his lips. “What  _ about  _ Gueira?”

“You’re not dating?”

“No, we are not dating!" Once more, the heat rose to his face, and it took a little more effort to prevent himself from bursting into flames on the spot. "You can’t just say that!”

Lio squinted at him. “Wait, so, you two sleep together like that and you aren’t dating?”

“Well—“ Meis sighed, trying to collect his words. “See, he likes to use my arm for a pillow… I mean, I offered, but—“

“What about all the side-hugging and touching?”

“He’s just naturally affectionate.”

“And the water-sharing?”

“Ugh, we’re trying to conserve water, okay?” Lio gave him an unconvinced look. “Don’t give me that look. There’s nothing between us.”

“I may not be great with people, but I think can see what’s going on.” He chuckled softly. Meis swore he caught a glimpse of a smile on Lio’s face as he stood and turned to go back to the cave. “I won’t pressure you to tell me anymore than that. But I’m aware. And after what I told you, I’d like you to know that you can trust in me too.”

“...” Meis turned around, climbing to his feet as well. “Hold on, Lio…”

Lio turned to him, awaiting what he had to say...

\---

Gueira was certain that the next morning, he’d will himself to wake up sooner than Lio could. As he jolted himself awake as if willingly kicking himself awake in his dreams, he sat up to find, to his disappointment, Lio already up as usual. At least this time, the other Mad Burnish were mostly still asleep too. Lio himself was leaning against the cave wall, gazing outward to the rising sun.

Though they certainly were on much better terms now, Gueira couldn’t help but still feel a twinge of jealousy (as much as he hated to admit it to himself). This Lio guy really had it all, didn’t he? A stronger flame, a compassionate side that was willing to accept fault, a good sense of direction and leadership…

Based on how chummy he and Meis were last night when they came back inside to turn in, Gueira could only imagine he was way better with people too.

He wondered if this was how Leonix felt years ago when he passed down his leadership status to him and Meis. Was this what inadequacy felt like? Was this how he felt? To be outshined by someone younger? Gueira tried not to dwell too much on it, partly because he didn’t want to feel bad this early in the morning and partly because he didn’t want to remind himself of the other Burnish.

Back then, they had accepted the leadership position wholeheartedly. Or rather, was it really just Gueira who accepted, with Meis pressuring himself to follow? He still wondered how willing Meis had been all those years to help lead by his side. It certainly seemed more like Gueira had taken the sole leadership spot, with Meis sticking around more as a sidekick rather than an equal.

Ironic, since Gueira knew for a fact that everyone would be lost if he were to lead without any of Meis’ guidance. Gueira, in truth, only knew the basics of leading the group. He knew how to look welcoming and friendly to the others to get them to follow his lead. He knew how to take on a challenge and fight when they needed to. But making important decisions— deciding whether to run away or stand down and fight— was more like something for Meis to call on. 

Yet here was Lio, taking charge so much more easily. It had been just a few days, and within that timespan he had taken care of sending out Mad Burnish members to scout the area and collect rations before Gueira and Meis could even wake themselves up enough to take over.

Without turning his head fully, Lio spoke as Gueira stood up. “Gueira.”

“Morning.”

“I’m ready to tell you two what I’ve been thinking.” He faced Gueira, his expression hard to read as usual. “Will you trust me?”

\---

Once Meis and the others had woken up, everyone gathered outside the cave with all rations and supplies packed up. Meis stretched with an audible crack and yawn, still clearly trying to wake up along with Gueira, who sat waiting on his ATV while waiting for Lio to finish distributing supplies.

“So what’s Lio thinking now?” Meis asked.

Gueira kept watch on Lio, who was about to finish tying a pack of rations to his bike, now roaring to life in its grand stature. “He wants to lead us to our new home.”

“New home?” Meis’ frowned. “This is the first I’m hearing of this.” 

“I only just heard of this a while ago, before you woke up. Apparently he found a place while he was looking for me the other day."

“Ah,” Meis chuckled, closing his eyes. “I see. Here I thought you were gonna replace me as co-leader.”

Gueira couldn’t help but snort at that. “What? No way. As if I could replace you. You and I’re always gonna be equals, man.” His smile faded as Lio checked behind him one last time. Everyone had positioned themselves so they were behind him and he could take the lead. Even Gueira and Meis positioned themselves side-by-side right behind Lio. “... But as for him…”

Though Gueira was used to feeling all eyes on his and Meis’ backs, he felt a surge of unease wash over him. Now he and Meis were right behind Lio, watching him even as he stared straight ahead, evidently deep in thought. 

Gueira had become well aware of the dissent of the group behind them. Meis had filled him in quite well. That was yet another thing to think about as they entrusted Lio to take them to this supposed new home. 

Yet another thing to think about…

Meis leaned forward, resting his chin on his handlebars as his bike formed underneath him. “What’re you thinking about now?”

At that moment, Lio revved his bike, looking behind at Gueira and Meis once again. The other Burnish behind them were chattering, some even snickering, in anticipation. “Everyone. Let’s go.”

“I’ll tell you about it later."

****   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly hope I'm doing Lio justice. I'd been looking forward to writing him since the very start! Anyway, thanks once more to my friends for the support and for waiting so patiently! I really appreciate you taking the time to read my work! Let's hope that since next chapter will be shorter, I'll be able to get it published faster.


	9. Lio Fotia pt. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I wanted to update this by last week but... I got distracted. Multiple times. I really, really wanted to get to the chapter after this one though, so please excuse me if there's mistakes in this one! 
> 
> On a side note, I always end up thinking whenever I split chapters like this, that they'll end up disproportionately lengthy. But no, this one's also like, 14k. Hopefully that makes up for taking so long to get Lio to appear in this fic.
> 
> But anyway, on with the show! Thank you for your patience and support!

The ride across the empty desert was uneventful. It had been years since anyone dared to ride ahead of Gueira and Meis. Both of them had forgotten the feeling of dust flying back at their faces as they followed Lio the whole way. While Meis maneuvered to ride alongside Lio’s left side, Gueira rode along his right side. 

“So this place,” Meis yelled over the wind, “is gonna be where you plan on everyone staying?”

“That’s the idea,” Lio said. “I found it while looking for Gueira the other night. You’ll know it when you see it.” 

It took a good portion of the morning for them to get to their destination, accounting for rest breaks. Throughout the whole journey, barely anybody said a word about the ride or Lio’s intentions. Only the sound of revving bikes and the wind at their ears filled the air as the group of Mad Burnish raced across the desert land.

Soon, what looked like an unfinished highway under construction came into view. As the group got closer, it became apparent that it was standing just at the edge of a steep slope, but otherwise stood stable on its support beams, with no sign of anyone else in the area.

“So this is the place…” Meis mused as they finally arrived, with Lio being the first to get off his bike. 

“You really want all of us to live  _ here _ ?” Gueira asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice. “This is like, part of a highway, isn’t it?”

“It’s far enough that the Freeze Force wouldn’t think to search for Burnish all the way out here,” Lio explained, resting a hand on one of the support beams. “Look over there.”

They all turned their gaze to the large mountain neighboring the site. “This place is…” Meis trailed off.

“You can feel the heat, can’t you?” Lio asked. “It’s a volcano. The Freeze Force mainly track Burnish through heat sensors. If we live around here, they’d have a hard time getting a signal on a Burnish population.”

“That’s… pretty damn smart,” Meis admitted. 

“It’s also quite large on the inside. I realize I’m in no position to make the final call here… but I feel this would be the safest place for us to stay, at least for the time being.”

Gueira and Meis exchanged glances in uncertainty before they both looked up. There was a long flight of spiraling stairs to enter the structure, which Lio took accordingly. He looked back at Gueira and Meis once before continuing his ascent.

Nobody said anything at first, and Meis was once more reminded of the eyes at his back as the rest of the group awaited their response. “Let’s take a look,” Gueira finally said after a long bout of uncertain silence. 

\---

It was evidently once a construction site, though it looked more like what remained of a highway than anything. Gueira stomped a foot on the floor once he had climbed up the stairs, creating a loud, echoing thud that only further emphasized the emptiness of the place. He turned and scanned the floor. It was dusty, with evidence of construction present in the form of discarded nails and screws littered sporadically about along with abandoned wooden boards and many rows of steel beams never put into their intended places. 

Gueira stomped his foot again, listening to the resounding echoes off the floor. “Us, living in a place like this…?”

“It isn’t perfect,” Lio admitted, taking a few slow steps forward as he surveyed the place, “but it’s better than us settling for a musty old cave.”

“Would this place really be suitable to live, though?” Meis asked. He looked up through the open holes in the ceiling. “What about water? Utilities?”

“My idea is we could try to create wells down at the desert floor for water. Or we could collect drinking water whenever we have to raid for supplies.”

“Thought you didn’t want us doing that kinda thing?” Gueira raised an eyebrow.

“My philosophy is on not killing people,” Lio reminded them. “Raiding for our own survival is fair game.”

The two leaders exchanged glances again. “Fair enough,” Meis shrugged.

“As for utilities… I’m certain there’s a generator somewhere to power the light fixtures still up there,” Lio said. “Everything else, we’ll just have to figure out.”

Gueira looked over to Meis, whose expression was hard to read through the strings of hair blocking his face. He watched as Meis surveyed the surrounding area, no doubt trying to envision the same visions Lio was obviously seeing to set the place up as a living space. 

“It’s… a start, I guess…” Meis muttered to himself. “Let’s get everyone settled in for the night.”

\---

“I dunno, it’s pretty cozy up here, I guess,” Gueira admitted as he and Meis finished making rounds around their new home. They passed by a few of the grunts already setting up their own living space against the walls, making do with what space they’d been allotted. A small group of them had descended back down the stairs to explore the area, some even tagging along with Lio for who-knows-what. The pair of leaders could already hear the remaining members laughing raucously somewhere further down the hall, already at ease with the new home.

“I guess it is…” Meis said, turning his attention to the openings in the walls serving as windows. “It definitely feels safe up here. If we could find an access point to the roof of this place, we could have a good vantage point if Freeze Force does come to attack.”

“I doubt we need it, though… Lio’s got a really good point with that volcano thing. Hopefully it’d be enough to cover for all of us.”

“Mm.”

“Hoy, you two.” They turned their attention to find one of the other Burnish, Charle, approach. Gueira grimaced upon seeing him and the ever-so-serious look on his face. “Can I talk to you two for a minute?”

“What’s up?”

“The other guys were wondering what our next course of action is from here.”

“As far as we’ve planned,” Meis began, “we’re gonna recuperate here and gather everything we need just as Lio said.”

Charle scowled. “That’s all ya got? And you’re taking orders from that kid?”

“We aren’t taking orders from him,” Gueira said. He frowned, stepping forward closer to Charle. “And he ain’t a kid, y’know.”

The older Burnish shrugged loosely, almost casually. “So ya let him lead us here, we follow what he says, and you’re telling me you’re not bending over to listen to everything he has to say?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Meis could see Gueira’s hands ball into fists at his side. “I don’t think I like the way you’re talking to us,” the redhead growled. “Don’t get any ideas-- we’re still in charge here.”

“Really?” Charle crossed his arms. “Good. As much as I like that kid, he’s way too naive about the way this world works. Here I was, scared our leaders were caving into what some preachy pacifist kid had to say.”

“...”

His eyebrow raised upon seeing Gueira’s fists relax, and a look of concern dawned on Meis’ face. “Now that we got that settled, answer me this: what exactly are we gonna do about the Burnish we lost? When do you plan to get them back? ‘Cause I’m telling you, I’m itching to crack some skulls and burn those bastards alive for taking my boy away.”

Gueira glanced briefly at Meis, and when neither responded at first, he spoke again. “We aren’t rolling that way anymore.”

Meis nodded in agreement. “Lio had a good point before. We can’t keep recklessly hurting people. If we kill more people, we’ll have even more problems on our hands. Besides, we need to recuperate after that loss.”

Neither man missed the quick look of fury flash on Charle’s face. His nostrils flared. “Oh, so I was wrong. So that’s it? You’re just gonna leave the people we lost at the mercy of those sons of bitches?”

“We didn’t say that--!”

“Why should we care about who we hurt on their side?! We have to look after ourselves and each other no matter what! The sooner we act, the sooner we find out where they’re being kept, the sooner we’ll get them back! We don’t have time to wait around and ‘recuperate!’”

“Do you even know where they’re being held, then?” Meis asked. “Because believe it or not, we don’t.”

“No, but--!” Charle stammered over his words. “They gotta be somewhere around Promepolis! Didn’t you used to break Burnish out like it was nothing?!”

“That was back when we had a good idea where the Freeze Force facilities were,” Meis pointed out. “We had no time to look at where their tanks were coming from. And since the leader of Freeze Force was there, I don’t like the odds we’d have to face if we were to actually attempt to break in.”

“So that’s it then? You’re not gonna do jack shit?”

“Not until we know for sure how we’re gonna tackle it.”

“Unbelievable,” Charle spat. “You waste half a week doing mindless shit, and you don’t even care enough about the others to do anything else.” He turned on his heel and stomped off, hunched over on himself.

“Hey!” Gueira called out. “Don’t you talk to us like that!” He growled as Charle left their sights. “Tch, I hate that guy’s attitude…”

“You looked like you had a vendetta against him,” Meis muttered.

“He was giving you a hard time the other day, wasn’t he?” Gueira scratched at his cheek as he nudged Meis into following. “Come on. I wanna finish patrol ASAP…”

“...” It was never an easy time for Meis when they had to deal with angry or upset Burnish. Then again, it wasn’t easy for either of them. He always found that he’d probably cave into doing whatever it took to appease anybody who was upset, but thankfully Gueira was the type to stay assertive if demands became too unbearable. Yet even this time, it was clear to both of them that there was no easy answer on how to handle the loss from the last raid.

… Though it didn’t stop the growing dread of guilt in the pit of his stomach. Part of him regretted not doing much more aside from checking in on the others in the group for the past few days. He bit his tongue back at the memory of him and Gueira messing around with Lio rather than attending further to everyone else’s needs. Had they seriously spent a whole afternoon playing that intense game of catch? At a time when everybody was no doubt shaken from losing their loved ones? What  _ were  _ they thinking? What was  _ he  _ thinking? He was supposed to be the brains between him and Gueira, so why did he insist on taking so many breaks? God, what did everyone think of them now--

As they continued walking down the corridor, Gueira’s face scrunched up in mild confusion. “Hey, Meis, you smell that?”

Meis hummed, eyes narrowing as he finally snapped out of his thoughts. They neared where they could hear some of the other Mad Burnish laughing and chatting loudly. “Needed a weed break that badly, huh…”

“Hell, I could use a break too.” Gueira gave a wry smile and hurriedly walked up to the group of half a dozen Burnish sitting in a circle, eyes red behind their shades as they waved around joints. “Hey, you guys. Got any joints to spare?”

“Heeeey Boss!” One of the guys waved a spare joint. “Was wondering when you were gonna join us!”

“Spare one for Meis here too?” Gueira shook Meis by the shoulders as they sat down, the smile on his face widening as someone handed him two joints. He passed one to Meis and lit it for him before lighting his own and immediately taking in the smoke. “Oh, that’s nice…”

Meis breathed deeply and took a drag out of the joint he had been given. He blew out smoke in a sizable cloud and smiled, letting his worries drift off temporarily like the smoke. “I think this is much needed after that trip… Though maybe we could’ve waited until we were off duty for this.”

He wasn’t sure if he imagined Gueira rolling his eyes at that. “Sometimes even we need a break, Meis. Just a short…” He inhaled. “Just a short break, is all. Things are moving slowly anyhow.”

“Right… Okay…”

Gueira leaned back on his arms, visibly relaxed. “So, how’re y’all liking our new home?”

A chorus of chatter erupted amongst the group, and from what Meis could gather, he could only hear good things. “This place ain’t half bad once you get to lookin’ around,” one of the other members whose name he had forgotten piped up.

“Yeah!” Another member whose name Meis didn’t know eagerly pumped their fist. “I like the way Lio thinks! I wasn’t sure ‘bout this place at first, but it’s kinda homey, actually. Beats sleeping on a dirt floor.”

Gueira chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it is pretty nice here.”

“Lotsa room too!” someone else (whose name Meis vaguely remembered to be Coda) joined in. “He gave me a space closer to the staircase.”

“I’m really liking how the new Boss is running things!” the first member said. “It’s gotta be smooth sailing from here.”

“He’s such a cool dude too,” said someone else (Meis thought his name was Damian, though he wasn’t entirely sure). “I finally figured out what was wrong with my bike-making ‘cause of him.”

Meis looked abruptly to Gueira, who was staring at the other members with widened eyes. “Uh, fellas, I think there’s been a misunder--”

“Oh yeah, same here!” Yet another member jumped into the conversation. “I thought he was a standoffish kid at first, but he’s real easy to talk to! I’m really digging him as a Boss.”

“Real smart too. I bet he and the others already found water down there--”

“Fellas, fellas!” Gueira spoke over them, getting them to quiet down. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding here.”

Meis coughed a few times to clear the smoke from his lungs. “Yeah--” he coughed again. “There hasn’t been any changes in leadership. Lio’s still just a new member here.”

Unsurprisingly, the chatter didn’t quite fall even after saying that. While some members evidently got the hint, others continued rambling on about Lio’s involvement with them for the last few days. Gueira gave a worried glance to Meis, deep in thought, before a voice from behind them caught their attention.

“If Lio ain’t leader, then why was he the one leadin’ the water well effort downstairs and not you two?” Behind them was Reiss, who was dusting off his hands and wiping dirt from his face. 

Gueira looked to Meis, who had no clear answer for that question ready in his mind. Finally, he settled on one. “We were keeping check of everything up here with the rest of you guys. The water well was Lio’s idea, so we assumed he’d be better at finding water.”

Reiss gave a dismissive chuckle and gestured somewhere behind him. “Guess you had a point there. If it were you two leading, it’d probably have taken longer…”

Despite Meis tugging down on Gueira’s sleeve, the redhead stood defensively. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

The other Burnish’s chatter died down at hearing his outburst, yet he continued to glare at Reiss, who stared back at him blankly. His eyelids lowered in a neutral glare in turn. “You really think none of us noticed how much goofing off you two have done the past few days? The biggest loss in our numbers from as far as I could tell, and you two’ve been playing catch and play-fighting with the new guy… who as far as  _ some  _ of us could tell, is strong enough to beat you two on even grounds.”

“What are you implying?” Gueira growled.

“Look… I’m putting it in the nicest way possible, since I know for a fact Charle can put it in  _ way  _ harsher words if he decides to talk with y’all again.” He turned on his heel to leave. “But if the others are thinkin’ Lio’s already the new Boss, maybe you ought to consider makin’ things easier to explain. At the very least, maybe a new change in leadership really  _ is _ in order...” He left back the way he came, the sounds of his boot heels against the steel floor filling the silence as Gueira and Meis watched, with the other Burnish watching in uncomfortable silence. 

Gueira’s eye twitched as he turned back to the group, surveying the looks on their faces, before turning to leave a different way with Meis in tow.

“Hey, Gueira--”

“Argh!!” Gueira let out a frustrated growl once they were far enough from everybody else. He clawed at his hair, something he didn’t do unless he was thoroughly frustrated, Meis had noticed. “Who do those two think they are?! First giving you attitude, now this?!”

“Hey, it’s all right. Calm down, it’s not something to get so worked up over--”

“I shoulda at least gone down with Lio and the others to find water! That’s supposed to be our job!”

“We were taking a break for once,” Meis tried to reason, even though his own dreadful guilt was coming back. “Lio’s a capable guy, and he was just leading in something he probably has more experience in than us.”

“Still!” Gueira huffed. “... I don’t want everyone thinking we’re too weak for the position.”

Meis’ eyes narrowed slightly as Gueira crossed his arms, looking down. “Too weak…?”

“I mean--” Gueira sighed, calming down. He didn’t follow up with saying anything after.

“...” Meis couldn’t think of anything else to do but pat him on the shoulder. “We’ll just show them we’re still capable then.”

Gueira didn’t say anything in response. 

_ But if the others are thinkin’ Lio’s already the new Boss, maybe you ought to consider makin’ things easier to explain. _

Boy, didn’t  _ that _ sound familiar.

Meis perked up at the sound of someone approaching from behind. He and Gueira turned to find Lio there, his hair up in a ponytail and an entire package of bottled water in his arms. Meis blinked, eyes fixated on the water. “Hey…” he drawled. “How did the water well thing work out?”

“We didn’t dig up water just yet,” Lio said. He held up the package. “But we did find some supplies of water bottles in the neighboring construction sites.”

“Oh, nice job,” Gueira said as he leaned over to take the package. All the frustration in his voice had faded, but something about the tone of his voice convinced Meis that he wasn’t done thinking of what had just happened. “You ought to take a rest. You’ve been working hard.”

Lio gave a small smile at that. “I will.” His nose scrunched. “By the way, what’s that horrible smell over there…?”

“The others are having a weed session.”

“Weed…?!” Lio echoed, aghast. “As in marijuana? At a time like this…?!”

“Sometimes you need a little something-something to wind down,” Gueira shrugged half-heartedly. “You especially seem like the type who needs it.”

“...” Lio didn’t answer at first, still staring off in the direction of the others.

“... You can try if you wanna,” Gueira offered. 

To their surprise, Lio looked at him with wide, curious eyes, rather than disgusted or aghast ones. “... Is it really okay, though?”

“Yeah! I mean, we’ll make sure you don’t go overboard. Seriously, you’re super fucking tense for someone your age.” Gueira snickered and led Lio back to the group of other Burnish by the small of his back, with Meis following.

“If you insist… then I want to try,” Lio relented, and it was then that Meis noticed how easily Lio went along with it. Despite his no-nonsense demeanor, Lio made no attempt to dance away from the offer. He could only wonder if it’s from the pressure or because he actually wanted to try for himself.

Gueira sat Lio down in the circle of other Burnish and gestured for someone to hand him a roll. He handed it over to Lio in turn. “You’re sure about this, huh? It’s only got like, a gram, so it shouldn’t be too much for you.”

“Thank you…” Lio looked to the side at some of the others, who were lighting probably their second or third joints, and lit his similarly. “And then I just…”

“You inhale a little, then exhale the smoke,” Meis explained, watching intently as Lio did as told.

Almost immediately, he broke into a coughing fit. “Oh God, that’s horrible.”

“You get used to it!” Gueira grinned. It died down upon hearing Lio continue to cough. “Hey, you all right? Here, you don’t have to finish if you don’t wanna.”

“Wait wait wait--” Lio interrupted before taking another hit. He exhaled with significantly less coughing. “Okay, okay yes, I think that’s enough for me…”

Some of the other Burnish cheered and whooped. “Yeah Lio! Initiation, whoo!” One of them burned the joint in his hand out of excitement, adding to the already-smoky atmosphere. Some of the others followed suit (apparently thinking it was on purpose), cheering loudly and carefree.

“Welcome to the team, Lio!” Damian shouted over the others. “Don’t take it all in at once!”

“Heh.” Gueira played with the joint in his hand, rolling it between his fingers. “Guess it kinda is an initiation of some kind, huh?”

On Lio’s other side, Meis took another long drag of his own joint. “Remember when we tried it for the first time, Gueira?”

“Oh, you kidding? How could I not?” He snickered in a carefree way that signaled how hammered he was getting under all the smoke. “I remember you were so out of it. You’re always like, way more chill when we get high.”

“Remember that time you started singing anime openings?”

“Remember the time  _ you  _ joined in?”

“Oh my god.” Meis held himself back from laughing aloud. “Don’t even start.”

“Um… guys…” Lio’s soft voice caught Gueira’s ear.

“Oh, wuh-oh, new guy’s finally getting into it!” Damian chortled. The sounds of the others jeering and cackling filled the air.

“Hey, chill out, will you?” Meis snapped. “Give him a moment. The laughing ain’t gonna help.”

“You okay, Lio?” Gueira asked.

“I think this is a bit much for me, actually…” Lio said softly as he tugged on Gueira’s sleeve. “Sorry…”

The redhead picked up immediately, standing up with Lio as Meis followed. “Oh, oh yeah. Come on.” He turned to the others. “Hey, we’re just gonna take him for fresh air!” When nobody answered or even noticed, the trio left.

“Hey, you okay?” Meis asked Lio as Gueira guided them to the staircase outside. “Careful, you might be a little unbalanced. Gueira, take a hold of him.”

“I’m fine, but thanks.” Lio allowed Gueira to guide him by the shoulders as they sat outside on the staircase, with Lio holding onto the rail to be safe. “Wow, okay--  _ wow _ , I’m already feeling the effects. I think. Am I supposed to feel tingly?”

“Some people say you’re supposed to. You feeling relaxed, at least?” Gueira asked. “Or-- how are you feeling?

“Okay… I think. Definitely still coherent, though. Kinda… shaky.”

“It takes a lot for you to get incoherent, usually,” Meis explained. “The point is to just…” He inhaled deeply and exhaled. “... let loose and relax. Forget your troubles for a while.”

“So that’s how you two cope…” Lio laughed softly yet still shakily, still a rare sound for the two to hear. “Sorry, I just need a moment… Where did you even find weed like that when food and water are such a scarcity?”

“Some of the others found a whole supply at the last town we stayed at,” Gueira said, almost wistful for the happier times. “ _ That _ time, Meis and I got high off our rockers.”

“It was much needed…” Meis joined in. “Then again, every time is a needed time.”

“I can imagine…” Lio bought his knees to his chest, taking a deep breath as his shoulders visibly released tension. “... I envy you two.”

“What, us?”

“Even when you have to lead, you have each other to keep yourselves in check. And you… you get to find time to relax like that. Together, even…”

“... Did you have any close friends in your last group?”

Lio looked downcast, and Meis didn’t miss the look of guilt in Gueira’s eyes at asking that question. “Not really…” he admitted. “I guess I never wanted to get too attached. Or the Burnish I looked after didn’t. So for you two to find each other and stick together for so long… I’m jealous.”

“Hey, chin up,” Gueira said, patting Lio gingerly on the shoulder. “You’ll find yourself some close friends too one day, just like me and Meis.”

Lio blinked, briefly glancing at Meis with a straight face. “So you think of Meis as your close friend?” he asked.

“I mean, duh?”

“Anything… more?”

“I mean, best friend really,” Gueira shrugged with a smile. “But hey, we can be your best buds too if you’d like!”

Lio blinked again, shooting Meis a brief, somewhat confused look. 

Subtly, Meis merely shrugged his shoulders. Gueira looked at them confused. “What?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Meis sighed. “You get all affectionate when you’re high, is all.”

“... Sorry, can’t help it that much,” Gueira muttered, rubbing his arm. “But you get what we mean, Lio, right? You can count on us, not just as your Bosses, but as your friend.” He paused, before smacking himself upside the forehead. “God, that sounded sappy as hell.”

Meis laughed, not merely chuckling but openly laughing for once. “A little, but it’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?”

Somehow, Lio found the strength to laugh too. It died down quickly, but he still kept a smile on his face after. “You two…”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Nothing. I’m just… really thankful you took me in.” He leaned to his side. “Really, everyone here is so easy to talk to… They’re so nice… I mean, my last group was nice too, but I never would’ve expected to be treated as well as you’ve treated me.”

Gueira smiled warmly, the smile itself reaching his eyes. “Glad to hear it, Lio.” 

“We ain’t perfect, but we try to make wherever we go a home for our people,” Meis said.

Lio bought his knees to his chest, hugging them. “That’s nice… really nice. Everyone’s lucky to have each other, and have you as leaders.” He mulled over his words for a bit. “And you have each other too, again. You don’t have anyone putting everything on your shoulders alone.”

Meis scoffed, almost sounding offended. “Now listen here, it ain’t really like that at all. Y’know, just before you came back, one of the guys-- Reiss, I think-- was talking shit about how we’ve been goofing off lately.”

“What?” Lio’s brow furrowed. “You’re kidding me. You two do so much.”

“Not as much as you, apparently…” Gueira muttered, only to look at Lio with regret upon realizing the words that left his mouth. “Shit, I didn’t mean--”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, Lio--”

“I’m doing it again, aren’t I? I’m taking charge when I shouldn’t be.”

“No, you’re helping us so much!” Gueira nearly shouted. “You’ve been such a huge help in keeping everyone together--”

“I really shouldn’t be though--”

“Well, everyone likes you better anyway!” A brief shock of silence followed, with Gueira slumping and looking away after. “... I mean, that’s the truth, anyway. And I see why. You’re like, way more powerful than both of us combined. You’re great with the others. Sometimes I wonder if we were ever really fit to take leadership from Leonix…”

“Gueira…” Meis laid a hand on his shoulder. “I think we did a good job the last five years.”

“Yeah. And then consider what happened days ago.” He looked at Lio. “You know how many people we lost? We had close to 50 of us living peacefully and happily before Freeze Force found us out. Now? There’s less than 20 of us.”

Lio evidently had no words at first. “But not everyone was taken.” There was hesitation in his voice. Just the other day he was chastising their carelessness, after all. Yet he seemed aware of how insincere he must’ve sounded, as he looked away regretfully. 

“We could’ve taken them… We should’ve been able to! The day me and Meis became leaders, we rescued just as many Burnish prisoners from a holding facility! And we couldn’t even protect all of them over the years…!”

“Gueira…” Meis’ hand squeezed his shoulder. “... We’re gonna get them all back one day, aren’t we? Someway, somehow. We made that promise to protect them all. We’ll keep it somehow.”

“... You two are so dedicated to your people,” Lio softly said. “Even if things are bleak, you're willing to risk everything for them, aren’t you?”

“Of course we are!” Gueira suddenly stood, hands gripping the rail of the staircase. “They’re basically family to us! They took us in when no one else would! We never wanted to let them down…” He calmed down, shoulders falling. “... But we did. And it’s only right that the others blame us for what happened.”

Meis fell silent, crossing his arms with a knowing sigh.

“... You couldn’t have known that was gonna happen, though,” Lio argued. “No one ever wanted to be put in that position. It’s… a heavy feeling, to be saddled with all that responsibility.”

“Yeah, you get it.”

“No one ever truly wants to be saddled with that much responsibility alone…” Meis said, barely audible to the other two. “Honestly? I find it hard to believe people want to jump into a life where everyone depends on them… Sometimes you just get roped into it, though.”

“You have to really want to lead a change to want to be leader,” Lio said. “... Have either of you ever wondered what you’d do if you had never become Burnish?”

Gueira sat back down, looking up in thought. “Nope.”

“No?”

“There’s no use in thinking about what coulda been. At least for me. I don’t think I belong anywhere but here with the Burnish.” He leaned against the stairs. “... How about you, Lio?”

“I don’t have a clue either,” he admitted, perhaps a little too quickly. “I’ve never had much of a chance to think about the future. Maybe it’s because I’m too rooted in the past.”

“All I know is that this is the life I was thrown into. Being Burnish is all I really am right now,” Gueira continued. 

Meis stayed quiet, sighing to himself. “Yeah. Same here.” His eyes drifted to Gueira, whose eyes he caught glancing at him with an almost depressed glint in them. “Hey, I mean it. I wouldn’t know where I’d be either if I hadn’t turned Burnish.”

“I know, but still. For all I know, you could be making it big in some alternate timeline where you never turned Burnish.”

“Making it big?” Lio echoed.

“Yeah! Oh man, you never told him, Meis? Okay, so like, he was in a band in high school!”

The scoff leaving Meis’ lips didn’t go unnoticed by Gueira. “A band that was never gonna take off--”

“You don’t know that!” Gueira barked. “It was really sick and they had these flashy costumes and everything!”

“What did you play, Meis?”

“Guitar. Lead.”

“He sang too, and damn it was really good!” Gueira joined in.

Meis looked away, his hair falling over his reddening face. “Shut up, it wasn’t that great…”

“I bet you were,” Lio said with interest. “Could you… Could I hear it?”

Meis peered past the strands of hair covering his face to find Lio looking up at him with big eyes and a perpetually curious pout. He immediately averted his eyes, stammering for an excuse. “I, uh-- I can’t. Not without some kinda music.”

“Want me to beatbox for you then?!” Gueira offered.

“Absolutely not. Please don’t.”

“Why don’t you make a guitar?” Lio suggested.

He blinked. “Make a guitar…?”

“With your flames.”

He blinked again. “I… never thought about doing that. I didn’t really think I had the finesse for making anything besides my armor and bike.” 

“So you’ve never tried?”

“I can give it a go now…” He opened his hands and spawned a separate flame in each, before they converged into a long, stick-like form. He squinted, evidently trying to mold its shape, but got nowhere beyond a vague, axe-like shape in his hands. “Ugh, maybe my mind’s too fuzzy right now, but I can’t… get the shape to hold…”

“Let me,” Lio offered. Meis held out the shape to him, and within his hands it took a more crisp, coherent shape of a guitar. Meis’ eyes widened as Lio let go of the guitar, with the same sleek edges and black-and-blue coloration to match Meis’ armor. 

“Holy shit, you’re good…” Meis whispered as he positioned it and strummed a chord. “Damn, and it actually sounds good too! How the hell did you do that?”

Lio merely shrugged passively with a smile. “I envisioned what I wanted, and the rest followed. It’s really not that hard once you give it a try.”

Meis strummed the guitar again, his lip similarly curling into a growing smile. “I haven’t had the chance to play like this in forever…”

“That’s why I keep telling you to take whatever guitars we find in those towns!” Gueira whined. He had crossed his legs in anticipation to listen to Meis’ playing. 

“They’d either burn up or end up slowing us down somehow, though…” He practiced strumming chords, memories of learning to play years ago coming back to him. He remembered the first few days of learning for the first time, when he was so hesitant to strum in the limited privacy of his room that he didn’t dare play too loudly. Yet here, in the spacious outdoors and even in the company of just Gueira and Lio, he felt little hesitancy in strumming at a fuller volume. “It plays like a dream.”

“Have you ever written any songs yourself?” Lio asked.

“Come on, you gotta show him now,” Gueira grinned.

“Show me what?”

Though he felt his face threaten to redden again, Meis brushed a hair behind his ear. “It’s been forever since I got a chance to work on it, though.”

“Work on what?” Lio asked.

“Last time I had a guitar, we were staying over at this town… I’ve been trying to write a song for years just to, y’know, pass the time. I never really showed anyone but Gueira though.”

“May I see? Or hear, rather?”

“... All right. But don’t stare so much, okay? Makes me self-conscious.”

“You’re gonna love it,” Gueira whispered to Lio, nudging him as Lio crouched down on the stair stoop to listen. 

Meis took a deep breath to get his bearings, looking down at the strings at his fingertips and taking a moment to stall and appreciate how natural they felt, fitting into the finger grooves he thought had faded completely long ago. He kept his head down as he played the chords in his head, remembering how they were supposed to sound as the memory translated into strumming.

“ _ The black sky is appearing _

_ The repeating thunder pulses _

_ Before the storm begins  _

_ I will cast that spell on you…” _

He glanced up briefly to find Gueira and Lio staring intently at him despite his wishes. Though he felt he was shrinking in on himself again, he continued to play. He wondered how he could’ve ever fooled himself to considering a music career with how his heart was beating out of his chest just from the mere thought of being watched. Yet he felt himself relax upon seeing the genuine smiles on their faces as he continued into the chorus.

“ _ Mahari, yuware _

_ Gaaie, savanare _

_ Amare, diragi _

_ Jumagi, ganashara.” _

He felt a more confident smile spread on his face as Gueira’s knuckles rapped rhythmically on the steel stairs.

“ _ Mahari, yuware _

_ Gaaie, savanare _

_ Amare, diragi _

_ Jumagi, ganashara!” _

His fingers glided along the strings more naturally, more freely, with Gueira’s fingers drumming and keeping him at the right tempo.

_ “I will resuscitate _

_ Your lovely heart _

_ Throw off that body _

_ Now it’s time for you to return to me.” _

He was smiling openly now, foot tapping along with the steady beat Gueira provided. The strings at his fingertips reverberated louder and louder in the open space around them.

_ “Mahari, yuware _

_ Gaaie, savanare _

_ Amare, diragi _

_ Jumagi, ganashare. _

_ Mahari, yuware _

_ Gaaie, savanare _

_ Amare, diragi _

_ Jumagi, ganashare!” _

He finished with a flourish of chords he was only usually confident to play by himself, eyes shut as he imagined he was playing alone.

He opened his eyes suddenly to the sound of Gueira and Lio clapping, the former grinning and more enthusiastic and the latter smiling politely but genuinely and applauding as if he had just watched a stage play. Meis smiled sheepishly at the attention, pretending to brush another strand of hair behind his ear as an excuse to cover his face.

“Yeah, Meis!” Gueira whooped. “You killed it!”

“Thank you, thank you,” Meis half-bowed as he was still sitting regardless, not wanting to pass up the opportunity at genuine praise.

“You’re incredibly talented, Meis,” Lio joined in, the smile reaching his eyes. “Though you must’ve worked hard to get that good.”

“Y-Yeah, well… I took lessons when I was younger.”

“What was that chant you were singing?” he asked with clear, earnest interest. “Is that another language?”

Meis sheepishly chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “No, actually. It’s, uh, just gibberish, really… Made up in my head, y’know? I was envisioning like, a battle chant while thinking up lyrics.”

Lio nodded, his mouth open like an ‘o.’ “Oh! I really like that. It’s catchy. It sounded like a language I thought I heard before, though...”

Meis cocked his head to the side, an eyebrow raised. “N… No, I’m pretty sure it’s just gibberish? But, uh, thanks.”

“Yeah, I like imagining it’s like, a Burnish pride chant, personally,” Gueira chimed in. 

“A pride chant…”

“Yeah! Like, ‘I’m Burnish, and I’m proud of that!’”

Lio smiled in amusement. “To be proud of being Burnish… I definitely expected that out of Mad Burnish when I heard of your activities.”

“Just because the rest of humanity sees us as monsters, doesn’t mean  _ we  _ gotta see ourselves as monsters,” Gueira said. “You get it, right, Lio?”

“Of course I do. We’re Burnish, but we’re still human, after all…” Lio trailed off, deep in thought. “That’s why I wanted to establish the Burnish City here. The government will never allow us a place to live peacefully. No matter what we do to prove otherwise, they’ll always see us as monsters. We don’t have to think like that, though.”

“I like the way you think,” Gueira nodded. “As much as I don’t like the idea of passing up revenge on everyone who wronged us…”

“We have to remember the Burnish who don’t fight,” Lio finished almost sternly, like a parent firmly reminding their children of an important lesson. “The ones who only want to live in peace… the ones who don’t want to partake in violence…” He looked down. “I’m glad you two see it the way I do.”

“You make a compelling argument, honestly.” Meis leaned his head against the railing of the staircase. “... I wish we’d come to that conclusion on our own.”

Gueira averted his eyes. “Same.”

“Please don’t be so hard on yourselves,” Lio said softly. “It isn’t too late to change your ways. That much I could tell.” When the other two didn’t respond, he stood. “You know, with the way you two agreed to my beliefs… I think that deep down, that’s what you wanted the whole time too.”

The two looked up at him. “What do you mean?” Gueira asked.

“You’re good people, clearly. I think it’s just that you never really realized who you could’ve been hurting. But you never meant to hurt people. That makes you different from Freeze Force, but not unlike the people who live in fear of the Burnish.” He regarded them gently. “You’re empathetic deep down, both of you. When you’re aware of the innocent people out there, you’re willing to change. That’s what I like about you guys.”

Neither man said anything in response at first. Gueira looked down, scratching the back of his neck before finally muttering to himself, “You really think so, huh…”

“That’s just what I think, anyway,” Lio said softly. He turned to the stairs leading down. “I’m feeling a lot better now. I think I’m gonna take another look around the area, if that’s all right.”

“You sure? It’s getting kinda late,” Meis pointed out, watching intently as the sun began to set over the horizon. 

“I won’t be too long,” he promised. “I’d just like to see what else is around, if there’s anything else we could make use of around here.”

“All right, but don’t stay out too long. Gueira and I’ll do some rounds for the night.”

“Is there nothing else I can do to help?”

“You’ve done a lot already,” Gueira smiled reassuringly. “Thanks.”

\---

“You know, kid kinda reminds me of us,” Gueira said as they finished their last round around their new home. Surprisingly, everyone else had been fine when asked if they needed anything. Fine by them, though it was unexpected with how new the place was. 

“In what way?” Meis asked as they entered their own little designated living space. It wasn’t much for the eyes, just a room artificially walled off with some stacked crates and a tarp for a fake door. 

“Y’know, how he takes charge and stuff. Hardly has to even ask how he can help the others. Kinda like you, to be honest.”

Meis chuckled as he fixed the blanket on the ground that was to serve as a makeshift bed. “Yeah? And he’s assertive like you.”

“That a good thing?” Gueira raised an eyebrow with a wry smile as he laid down.

“To me it is.” Meis in turn lowered himself down to his own side, lying down less than an arm’s length away from Gueira. “... I see what you mean though. He’s got a big heart like you.”

Gueira scoffed as he moved closer to rest his head on Meis’ arm, as per norm. “Nah, come on, man. You know me. 100% bonafide asshole.”

“What, you can’t accept that you’ve got a big heart?” Meis chuckled. 

“Bah, I ain’t that soft. Gotta be the tough guy in Mad Burnish, y’know?”

“The tough guy who’s willing to be a jungle gym for the kids and help the grandmas with their knitting?”

“Crocheting. And that was one time.” Despite the sass in his voice, Gueira grinned a crooked smile. 

Meis’ laughter died down as he turned to face the ceiling. “... You and Lio make dealing with people look so easy. I dunno how you manage.”

“I keep telling ya, just open up to people and they’ll be friendly right back.”

“Doesn’t feel like that works for me.” He sighed and tried to get comfortable, using his arm as a pillow. “I still get this gut feeling that the newer recruits don’t like me… Makes me feel uneasy.”

“You and your gut feelings,” Gueira scoffed. He faced up at the ceiling. “... Then again, I can’t remember a time when it hasn’t saved our asses before… I’ll keep an eye out on those guys myself, if it’ll make you feel better.

Meis didn’t answer, feeling the weight of that day’s activities weighing down on his eyelids. He drifted off into sleep without answering. 

—-

When he awoke, it was still dark. Meis blinked, wondering what exactly woke him up. He lifted his head as he remembered he heard something in the distance. And come to think of it, there was a faint light visible from the corner of Meis’ eye, past the tarp serving as the door to his and Gueira’s room. He heard a flight of quick yet barely audible footsteps speed past their room. 

Quietly, he stood up, careful not to wake the sleeping redhead (not that it was easy to rouse him, especially with his snoring indicating how deeply he was asleep). Carefully, Meis lifted the tarp. 

He had a bad feeling about this, something that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. 

He made sure to keep his footsteps on the metal floor as quiet as possible, his eyes adjusting to the darkness soon enough. In the distance of the corridor he could hear voices, almost whispery voices. 

In the back of his mind he tried to convince himself that maybe some of the other Burnish just wanted to gather late at night. Maybe they all just wanted to have another weed break. It wasn’t unusual for Burnish to want to get up in the middle of the night to socialize, especially in a place as secure as this. 

But there was something about the way the voices became more distinguishable as a large group of voices as he got closer that struck an uneasy chord in him again. He stayed close to the corner, careful not to round it as he listened in. 

It sounded as though their whole congregation of Mad Burnish had gathered just around the corner. Two or three voices urged everyone else to shush, and the whispers died down. 

“All right, everyone here?” It was Charle’s voice, Meis recognized. 

“Not everyone,” Reiss reported. “That new kid went off somewhere to check out the well situation again, I think.”

“Should be fine then. I could care less about what he thinks of all this, but we really gotta get this meeting done before  _ those two _ take notice.”

Meis inched closer to the corner, listening in more closely. 

Charle cleared his throat, just loud enough to catch everyone else’s attention but soft enough that it didn’t echo too far down the corridor. The chatter ceased. “Now listen up, you lot. I’m sure you’re all wondering why we went and woke y’all up at this hour.” There was a brief chorus of displeased murmurs, only to be immediately shushed by each other. “I wanted to talk to y’all about our ‘leaders,’” he emphasized that last word with clear disdain, “if ya catch my drift.”

Silence followed before Reiss’ voice cut in. “What Charle means is… I’m sure the Freeze Force raid from last week is still fresh on everyone’s mind.” There was a murmur of agreement. “We all lost someone, whether we knew how close we were or not. We haven’t been in the group for long ourselves, but I’m sure you’re all aware this is the biggest loss Mad Burnish has suffered. We all know it.”

“And what did our ‘bosses’ do about it?” Charle asked. Unhappy whispers erupted from the small crowd. “Yeah, that’s right. They did jack  _ shit  _ about it!! We lost our  _ kid  _ because of how careless those two were in leading! And I know each and every one of you lost someone close to you too. I heard stories before of how those two busted into holding facilities, set Burnish prisons on fire to free their friends before! But what did they do this time?!”

Meis felt his skin crawl as the crowd got more excited, more  _ angry _ . 

“They wasted their time— _our _time— messing around instead of doing ANYTHING useful!” Charle finished, flaring up in literal flames. “Meanwhile that kid’s doing so much more! A fucking kid is doing more for us lately than those two! We ought to kick those bastards out and put up a new leader!”

Meis finally peered around the corner to find Charle raising a fist into the air, with the other Burnish cheering excitedly for the idea, save for a very slight few who looked half-hearted in their joining in. 

“Hell, we could even consider making Fotia the new Boss! He’s done more for us in this week than those two! With him at our side, we could burn all of Promepolis down for our brethren!”

Meis’ eyes shifted to Charle’s side at Reiss, who frowned and pulled Charle down to speak to him in a low voice. “Hon, is that actually gonna work out for us, though? That kid had some pretty strong ideas of his own… I don’t see him working on our side for revenge.”

Charle gave him a twisted grin. “Just work with me here. If the others like him that much, we just need to pull the strings a little so he could agree with our way of thinking. And if he doesn’t…”

Meis swallowed thickly, stepping away from the corner as Reiss suddenly looked behind him and locked eyes with his. 

Meis’ eyes widened as he quickly turned on his heel and fled back the way he came, well aware of the older man’s shout and the sound of heavy boots thundering on the metal floor. He felt someone’s body— likely Reiss’— tackle him from behind and grunted as he met contact with the hard ground in front of him. Frantically, he looked up, shouting once before he felt a hand clasp over his mouth. 

“GUEIRA!!”

\---

Gueira woke with a start as he heard Meis’ voice faintly down the corridor. He looked to his side to find just an empty space next to him. Quickly, he leapt to his feet, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 

_ Was Freeze Force there already?! _

He pushed past the tarp to find two other Burnish already there, dressed in their Mad Burnish armor. “Guys, what’s the situation?! What’s going on?!”

They didn’t answer, instead tackling him to the ground. With a cry, Gueira went down, struggling immediately. “What the hell?! What’re you doing?!”

Instinctively, he let the flames around him collect, forming his armor and pushing the two off of him with a growl. “What do you think you’re doing, huh?! What happened to Meis?!”

He didn’t get any verbal response, only a hard blow to the back of the head that nearly knocked the helmet off of him. He snarled and swiped a claw at whoever was behind him, barely scraping them but knocking them away. 

A sharp whistle caught his and his attackers’ attention before he could attack again. He turned his head to find Meis with arms restrained behind him by Reiss, with Charle holding a gun made from Burnish flames held up to Meis’ temple.

“Meis!!” He nearly stepped forward, but held himself back at the slight movement Charle made, bringing the gun closer to Meis’ head. 

“Easy, Boss,” Charle urged, voice unusually calm compared to what Gueira was used to hearing from him. “We don’t needa make this harder than it already is. That got ya to listen though, huh?”

“The hell are you doing?!” Gueira demanded.

“Off with the armor first,” Reiss said. “We just wanna talk.”

“...” Gueira took one look at Meis, half-expecting him to look scared outta his mind despite knowing better. Instead, Meis stared right back at him, almost glaring at him. Ever-so-slightly, Meis shook his head at Gueira. 

_ Don’t trust them. _

“Why should I, huh?” Gueira asked, standing poised to attack and not wavering in his armor. “You got a gun to his head already. Now out with it. What’re you doing this for?”

“We ain’t happy, simply put,” Charle started. He chuckled despite the circumstances. “Y’know, we actually felt safe under your care when we first joined. Percy especially. You promised us you’d keep us safe. And look what happened.”

Gueira softened as Charle looked away, collecting himself with a guilty look in his eye. Reiss similarly was looking down, eyes downcast at the mention of their kid. “I’m sorry,” Gueira said, regret genuine in his voice. “We never wanted it to turn out like this.”

Charle returned his gaze to him, suddenly glaring with a terrifying ferocity. “It was ‘cause of you two that this happened…! If you hadn’t gone to Promepolis, you wouldn’t have led them right to us!” He stomped a foot on the ground in emphasis, flaring up and causing a few flames to rise in anger. “What the hell was the point of staying to make a show, huh?! You led them right to us, you did NOTHING when they attacked, and now you’re STILL not doing anything!! Even worse, how can you not want to burn them all to the ground for what they did to us?!”

Some of the other Mad Burnish were surrounding them now, watching intently. Gueira couldn’t tell who was on Charle’s side and who were loyal to him still, but he kept himself in a ready stance in case anybody decided to jump him. 

“What do you expect us to do at this point?!” Gueira demanded with just as much fury even as the guilt stabbed at him. “Freeze Force’s more powerful than ever! You saw what they could do, we ALL did!”

“Bullshit,” Reiss joined in, finally. “What happened to the Mad Burnish that broke into prisons to break Burnish free…? Admit it, you’re too cowardly to stick your necks out that far for that many people.”

“You don’t think we’d do that for our people?!” Gueira growled, fire collecting at his feet despite being surrounded. “ _ That’s  _ a load of bull! Our priority was to take care of y’all first before we jumped back into action! How could you even think we were gonna give up for good, then and there?! It isn’t over yet and you know it!”

“Every moment you choose not to act and at least try to find where our loved ones were taken, that’s another moment someone could be dying,” Reiss simply said.

“... So your idea of doing something about it is to revolt, huh…”

Charle merely chuckled, the flames from his earlier outburst gathering similarly at his feet and forming his armor, a standard design for a Mad Burnish mook, complete with a long, scarf-like trail billowing from his neck like a cape and a jacket-like attachment. “We tried to reason with you before. When we first heard of Mad Burnish, we expected it to be headed by a couple of real men who refused to run away from a challenge. Instead we got two boys who can only scream and run when pressure’s on them. You don’t get it, do you? That little ‘pacifism’ shtick that kid’s been trying to drill into your heads ain’t gonna work out for us in the end. The only way for us to win this war is to not hold back.”

“Is that so?” Gueira kept his eyes locked on Charle as he summoned his own ride, getting on and revving its engine. “I don’t think this conversation’s getting anywhere, so here’s the deal. Either you traitors leave, or we’ll make you.”

A handful of other Mad Burnish, evidently turned traitor, took position behind Charle as he sneered, cocking his makeshift gun and pointing it up at the ceiling. “Fine by us! It’s time we put you in your place.”

The redhead sat undeterred on his ride as the more loyal remaining members flanked his sides. “And it’s time  _ we  _ remind you who’s boss here!” He revved his engine again as Charle shot into the air, instantly creating a burst of colorful Burnish smoke that spread and coated everyone’s vision. Within that same moment, Gueira throttled forward into the fray as the loyalists behind charged besides him, a full-on fight ensuing.

Just before his armor’s claw collided with a traitor in front of him, he caught sight of Meis finally breaking free from Reiss’ grasp and summoning his armor as well. The sounds of shouting all around were deafening, yet Gueira kept his sights locked on Charle in front of him as their rides scraped by side-by-side, with the latter ducking under the former’s follow-up swipe. Gueira grunted as he felt Charle’s gun pelt his armor’s back in hardened shots, thankfully not breaking through but definitely damaging his armor’s integrity. He swerved as he nearly collided with a pair of other Burnish currently locked in their own fight, only for Reiss, now also geared for battle in knight-like armor, to hit him across the face with what he assumed was a pipe of some sort. 

“Gueira!” Meis’ voice rang through the smoke and sounds of fighting as Reiss circled around and aimed to strike again, only to get cut off by Meis. “I got Reiss, you take care of Charle!”

“I was planning on it!” Gueira immediately turned his ATV around, scanning the area quickly. 

Everything seemed to slow around him as he looked. Burnish fighting Burnish all around, the smoke and flames growing heavy and sparking from intense pressure. He barely had time to take it in before his attention was forced back onto Charle shooting him multiple times in his armor’s chest.

“Why you--!!” With a squeal from his tires, Gueira sped past all the fighting around him and followed quickly, trying his best to weave between the shots. Even with him weaving behind Charle, who had to turn and fire while driving, he still managed to get hit multiple times. “Tch--! Stupid armor…!”

With each flaming bullet nailing him, he could feel his armor threaten to collapse on itself-- a dangerous outcome if he were to let it happen.

Perhaps Lio was right after all about his armor’s weak points.

But instead of feeling himself slow at the reminder of his weaknesses, Gueira instead felt a burning anger inside him as he sped up, the fire around him growing hotter and stronger to match that fury as he took each bullet head-on, his armor hardening on command and withstanding each blow as he slowly caught up to the traitor sailing ahead of him. 

Barely, as the gap between them closed, he could make out the surprised, possibly even terrified, look on Charle’s face as he looked back. With a determined snarl, Gueira launched himself off of his vehicle and dove forward, snatching Charle by the “scarf” of his armor and yanking him off his bike. The two tumbled along the corridor’s floor, with Gueira getting up only to be pelted by more bullets from Charle’s gun. He lifted himself off the ground only to get half his helmet blown off by a heavier powered shot. Growling and on all fours now, Gueira leapt at Charle again, only needing to swipe once to blow the left half of his armor clean off. Before he could recover, Gueira swung a fist at his direction, this time directing a stream of fire to launch him into sliding across the floor.

Vaguely, through the condensed sounds of struggling further down the corridor and the curtain of red in his vision, he could hear the loud roaring of someone’s engine.

He had no time to focus on that or the figure of his opponent still struggling to get up, however, as the exposed half of his head was suddenly struck by a heavy blow from Reiss. Disgruntled, Gueira picked himself off the floor yet again, this time using his arm as a shield against the other Burnish’s pipe. Meis suddenly came into view, however, and fought Reiss back just as another powered shot from Charle blew off part of Meis’ torso armor as well.

The two pairs regrouped on either side of the corridor, now at a standstill and glaring each other down, with Charle pointing his gun and Gueira prepared to launch another stream of flame. Within the free moment of ceasefire, Gueira glanced at Meis, who was sweating and panting through his still-intact helmet’s visor. Gueira himself was only now becoming aware of how quickly the few minutes of fighting had worn him down.

A surprise, all things considered, though probably to be expected with how little they’ve fought other Burnish.

Charle and Reiss looked similarly worn down, with the former trying to recover his lost half of armor and the other hunched over and clutching an arm that Gueira suspected was recovering from Meis’ own attack on him. 

Charle grinned, a deranged smile visible to Gueira from past his helmet. “This is for Percy, for everyone you let die.”

The two pairs charged at each other upon that final word, just as the engine roar from earlier hit Gueira’s ears again. He barely had time to register and look to the side as Lio suddenly barreled in on his own bike, slamming into all four of them and sending them flying in different directions. Gueira cried out, tumbling once or twice before scrambling to get up again. Before he could question what just happened or even recollect himself, however, he found himself entangled in a wall of Burnish flames--  _ Lio’s  _ flames.

“What the hell?!” he shouted, looking around only to find Meis and the others trapped in similar webs. He looked in the direction from where Lio came in, only to find everyone else trapped as well. “Lio!!”

The fighting had stopped, and Lio was the only one left standing, holding everyone together.

“That’s enough!” Lio shouted over the sounds of everyone’s struggling. “What happened here?!”

“They started a fight, that’s what!” Gueira screamed in fury. He struggled to break free. “Charle and Reiss-- others too!”

“Bastards!” Charle spat. “All of you! Kid, don’t you see what’s goin’ on here?! All the people we lost, and these two ain’t doin’ a thing about it! How could ANYBODY here tolerate how things are run?!”

“Do you honestly think they’ve forgotten our fallen brothers?” Lio asked, voice rising in volume. 

“Even in a world surrounded by people like us, we’ll still get pushed aside,” Reiss added in, his tone decidedly more composed and reserved than his partner’s. “You understand, don’t you, kid? We won’t get the justice we want with these two leading us. We’re not gonna get anywhere.”

“And is this the way you’re going to get that justice?” Lio asked, turning a fierce gaze towards them. “By fighting amongst ourselves? By insisting we continue to live this way? Fighting senselessly like this… It’s not gonna accomplish anything except drive us apart. Is that what you all want? At a time when we clearly have a bigger enemy to be worried about?”

“... Lio’s right,” Meis said in defeat. Though he barely showed any outward fury, Gueira noted, he seemed to slump within his restraints. “We haven’t gotten anywhere in avenging the people we lost. But we aren’t gonna get anywhere if we split up amongst ourselves.”

Gueira softened upon hearing Meis’ words. Though he didn’t relax fully, he looked down at the ground. “... I hate to admit it, but you’re right. Both of you.” He looked up to find Charle and Reiss still glaring at them. “As for you two… There’s no way we could ever make up for losing all the other Burnish. But we’re sorry. We just wanted to take care of the people we had left. And we don’t… know how we’d go about getting them back, all right? We just don’t have a plan yet.”

A long silence followed, with no one daring to say anything. With everyone apparently calmed, Lio released the webs of flames keeping them all suspended. Gueira nearly collapsed upon hitting the ground, the adrenaline having just about worn off. He looked up. Nobody made any move to fight upon release.

“Everyone…” Lio began, standing at the epicenter of where the fighting had just taken place. “We can’t let ourselves get distracted from our real enemies. And we can’t let ourselves wear out fighting each other when survival is already a huge challenge for us.” His eyes scanned the space around him. “Look at this. We’ve been here only a day and this place could’ve been destroyed already.”

“... Sorry, Lio,” Gueira found himself saying. It was ridiculous, he suddenly felt, to feel the need to apologize to him, someone he considered a kid not a few days ago. “I mean… You’ve made a lot of really good points today. The whole last week, to be honest.”

He let his armor fall apart as Meis let his disappear too. Around them, other Burnish slowly let their armor shed as well. “We were fools to let this happen,” Meis said simply with a shake of his head. “To let all the tensions rise to this point… we’re sorry, everybody.”

Gueira’s eyes drifted to Charle and Reiss, who still kept their armor together. His eyebrows furrowed, though he changed his gaze to Lio and Meis. “We’re gonna make everything better. We gotta. Lio, we’re right behind you now. For real this time.”

Lio looked at them both in slight surprise. It was soon replaced with a small smile. “Thank you guys. I--”

“WATCH OUT!!” Gueira briefly caught the sudden look of panic on Meis’ face before the taller male suddenly pushed him and Lio aside as a gunshot rang out, followed by the other Burnish screaming.

Meis’ cry in pain alerted Gueira immediately. His eyes fell on Meis, now crumpled on top of him, clutching his hip with a face contorted in clear pain.

“MEIS!!” Gueira screamed, before his eyes trailed up in fury. There, on the other side of the corridor, Charle was already sitting on Reiss’ bike with a still-smoking Burnish gun. 

“Unbelievable,” Charle spat, his voice now void of any fury, but now laced with disdain. “They all deserve to burn and you know it, deep down. You’re seriously that adamant in making sure our enemies live, even when they deserve it, huh... Guess we’ll just have to take matters into our own hands.”

Without another word, the two sped off down the corridor, towards the opening where Reiss was already forming a ramp for them to escape through.

“BASTARDS!!” Gueira screamed. He flared up, nearly about to follow, before Lio caught him by the arm.

“Gueira, don’t!” he urged, even with anger clear on his face too. “It’s not worth it!” Gueira immediately calmed himself upon seeing Meis writhe on the ground in front of them, with the other Burnish gathering around in concern. Behind him he could hear a couple of them speeding off to try and follow Charle and Reiss (though to catch them or join them, he couldn’t tell and didn’t care enough to think about). 

“Meis! Fuck-- everyone clear out!” Gueira commanded as he and Lio took ahold of Meis, lifting him under the arms and legs. “Move, MOVE!! Lio, we’re taking him to our room, come on!”

“Right!”

They had the help of some of the other Burnish, who helped move Meis back to their room. Once there, Lio took over, ushering the other Burnish to give them space while he inspected Meis’ wound. 

He sucked in a breath between his teeth. “There’s still the bullet in him. How in the world did Charle manage to do that…”

Gueira gulped as he only then noticed the flames pouring out of Meis’ hip like blood, looking as though they were burning his flesh away in a blood-free mess. Meis’ hands clawed at the blanket underneath him, his face still contorted in pain as he fought to not scream while Lio attempted to look into the wound more. 

“Ah--  _ fuck _ !!” Meis cried out. Gueira could only watch in horror as Lio worked with his own flames to try and coax the remnant of the bullet out. 

He stared helplessly with wide eyes as he noticed the seams of the wound turning gray, breaking off into tiny pieces and drifting away like ashes. “Shit-- Lio!”

Lio’s eyes widened as he caught sight of Meis’ skin turn to ash. Meis himself still had his eyes screwed shut from the pain, but it was clear he was still feeling its effects. “Meis, hold on!” the younger man pleaded in a thinly-veiled panic, voice trembling. “Just hold on, please!”

Gueira’s eyes quickly darted from the wound back to Meis’ face. It wasn’t often that he saw Meis let himself show such pain. For someone as reserved as him, to see him in this state, clearly trying to hang onto life despite his injuries…

“Lio, give me something to do!” Gueira demanded.

To his horror, Lio looked at him with wide, frightened eyes. “I… Just stabilize him! The wound’s spreading, I don’t know how to stop it!”

Gueira looked down at Meis again, who was evidently trying hard not to move so much. Gingerly, he took Meis’ hand in his own, lighting it aflame with his own. Though the heat grew between their clasped hands, it did little to cease Meis’ struggling.

He had to do more for him.

Gueira’s eyebrows furrowed as he took a deep, determined breath, his hands quickly grabbing Meis by the sides of his face. Meis managed to open his eyes just slightly from the movement, looking right back at Gueira with some kind of indescribable emotion, one that Gueira could only closely liken to apologetic, though he didn’t know why.

“Come on, stay with me!” Gueira pleaded.

With a deep inhale, Gueira leaned down and pressed his open lips to Meis’, feeling his flame’s warmth instantly channel into Meis’ mouth and throughout his body. 

He could feel the heat inside him rise to his face, just as it did years ago the first time they did this. He could still feel Meis’ hands grab at the blanket underneath his body, but now with less tension as he seemed to relax ever so slightly. Gueira kept his eyes squeezed shut and his hands firmly on either side of Meis’ face. 

It didn’t occur to him how long he held the contact until he felt his head grow light from losing air, and he forced himself to break away for another breath. Meis gasped for air, but otherwise was no longer writhing. Lio was now knelt at his side, holding up a sizable bullet made of hardened, blackened Burnish flames that appeared to change shape in his fingers, almost pulsating every second. He was staring at Gueira with wide eyes.

Gueira took a moment to breathe heavily to himself, heartbeat pounding in his head. He looked down at where the bullet had been, and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the wound close itself, the skin no longer gray nor turning to ash. “Y… You did it, thank god…” he sighed.

Lio crushed the bullet between his fingers. “You kept him stable,” he simply said in turn. “That… That’s something I’ve never been able to do. What you did just now.”

“What?” 

“My group used to call that ‘Burnish CPR,’” Lio explained. “When your flames sync with someone and you give part of yourself to let the other heal. I’ve never been able to do that. I’ve seen it work, but...”

“Yeah? Well, I’ve never been able to pull a fucking Burnish bullet out of someone before,” Gueira said, managing a wry smile. 

“How did you do that…?” Lio asked breathlessly. “I’ve never been able to save someone with it. But you… you did it so easily.”

“Y-Yeah, well!” Gueira rubbed his neck almost sheepishly. “We had… a few opportunities to perfect the technique.”

Lio blinked, looking down at Meis in front of them. Meis closed his eyes and sucked in a breath through his teeth. “... Yeah,” Meis confirmed. “We… get into trouble often, so…”

“Incredible,” was all Lio had to say (almost blankly, Gueira noted). “You two are unbelievable… I have so much to learn.”

“Meis, how’re you feeling?”

Meis rolled his head to the side in exhaustion. “That was probably the worst fucking pain I’ve felt in my life, to be honest/,” he said. “But I’ll be okay. Thanks, Gueira.”

Gueira huffed another sigh of relief. “Yeah, you better be okay! Holy shit, don’t fucking scare me like that again!”

“Sorry,” Meis muttered. He turned his gaze to Lio. “Lio… thank you too. For getting the bullet out and for stopping the fight before it got worse.”

“Yeah, seriously,” Gueira joined in. “You know… things have been running a lot smoother with you leading us lately.”

Lio gave a soft smile. “I just wanted to do what I could to help.”

Gueira felt Meis’ hand squeeze his leg. He looked down to find Meis looking up at him. With a nod, Gueira looked back at Lio. “Lio, could you go and see if you could get an extra blanket for Meis? And check on how everyone’s doing too?”

He stood immediately. “Yes, of course. One moment, please.” He left the room swiftly, leaving just the two leaders there.

With him gone, Meis spoke up. “Gueira… What do you think?”

The activities of that night were still fresh in his mind, yet Gueira was still able to think deeply about what had happened the last few days. 

He hated to admit it, he really did. But after what just happened, he felt unsure of himself as a leader. To let tensions rise to the point of a mutiny just marked a failure on his part. Meanwhile here was this capable young man who not only had stronger control over his flames than them, but also was well-liked among (almost) everyone else and had a clear affinity for leadership…

Coming to that realization was like feeling deja vu from another side.

“I think… Lio will do a better job than me,” Gueira finally said.

“He’s better with handling them than I could ever be, too,” Meis agreed.

“You wanna step down too?”

“I was… never really one to lead in the first place,” Meis admitted.

Gueira softened at that, feeling another pang of guilt strike him. “Sorry.”

“What for?”

“You got forced into leading ‘cause of me, obviously.”

“I wanted to help you lead. I was never really a leader in the first place.”

“You kiddin’? We’re a team. I wasn’t able to lead without you. I mean… you were always the brains of the operation. I liked talking to the Burnish and dealing with them and everything, but like, I can never make decisions on my own. Not without you. But Lio… He’s like, what’s the word.”

“Autonomous?”

“Probably that! I just…” He sighed. “I think he’s got what it really takes to lead the group now.”

“Agreed.”

“But we’re not gonna force it on him. We’re gonna ask him if he really wants to.”

“Also agreed.”

“Good?”

“Good.”

“Good.” Gueira nodded with a smile, as if he had just released a weight off his shoulders. “Man, it’s so easy to come to an agreement with you.”

Meis smirked. “Agreed.”

At that moment, Lio came back with a blanket in hand. “Everyone else is fine,” he reported. “Some of the others tried to catch Charle and Reiss, but they escaped. Nobody else followed after them, though.”

“Even the ones who were fighting alongside them?” Meis asked.

“Apparently they want to repent for their actions… They’d like to talk with you guys later.”

“About that…” Gueira cleared his throat. “We wanna propose something to you, Lio.”

“What is it?” He sat down and laid the blanket over Meis.

“Meis and I’ve been thinking… We recognize how good you are at leading everyone here. You’ve only been here like, a week, and you’ve already proven to us how strong you are. How good you are with everyone here, even better than we are.”

“We wanted to ask if you were interested in becoming our new leader,” Meis finished.

Lio looked at them in surprise. “Are you… serious?”

“You don’t have to, of course!” Meis said quickly. “We know firsthand that it’s a lot. And we know you lead a group before, and we know you had a lot of pressure on you.”

“But you won’t be alone this time!” Gueira cut in. “You’ll have us to help you and guide you along!”

“You guys…”

“We just… look up to you, y’know?” Gueira admitted, surprising even Meis. “You have this way with those flames… You’re what it means to be Burnish, if you get what I mean. You’re clearly more fit to lead than we’d ever be. That’s just what we both feel.”

Lio mulled over his words for a moment, though it was clear to both men that he was touched by the gesture. “I’ll do it.” Gueira and Meis both broke out into wide grins. “But-- only if you two will stay by my side.”

“No prob, Boss!” Gueira excitedly said.

“Consider that a promise,” Meis joined in. He sat up. “Let’s break the news to everyone else once they’ve all settled.”

“Shouldn’t you rest?”

“I’m already feeling better,” he insisted. “Kinda feels like… a weight’s been lifted…”

\---

Considering everything that had happened that night, Meis found the transition of leadership went a lot smoother than he anticipated. In fact, for the most part, it hardly felt like anything really changed at all. Even amongst those who nearly joined Charle’s revolt, they seemed accepting towards their new Boss. Perhaps they bonded with Lio faster than they ever did with him or Gueira, Meis figured. It didn’t matter that much to him (really, it didn’t) so long as there was no threat of another insurrection. 

Regarding the nearly-successful revolt that was now a few nights ago, Lio had been surprisingly forgiving towards those who  _ did _ temporarily join the traitors’ side. No harsh punishments were dealt. If anything at all, Lio instructed the members who were more loyal to Gueira and Meis to keep watch on those who Gueira feared could turn traitor again.

“I want to believe in the best of people,” Lio reasoned. “It’s easy to think along with the crowd in the moment… I’ve seen the regrets in those men’s eyes. I believe them when they say they’ll stay loyal under the new arrangements.”

“It’s that kinda thinking that’ll get us all in trouble one day,” Meis muttered in response. “But… if that’s how you feel, we’ll keep an eye on those guys for a while still.”

“Thank you.” Lio looked down the corridor. He’d ordered the other Burnish to help clean up the place, and even after a few days, there were still some remnants of construction left on the ground. Still, the place looked significantly cleaner than when they’d first arrived. “... Gueira. Meis. This way.”

The two exchanged glances as Lio walked ahead towards the outside staircase. With a shrug, they followed him out and up the stairs to the highest point it led to. When they reached him, he was looking out over the rails. From there, they could see Promepolis far into the distance, appearing once more like an oasis in the middle of the desert.

“Wow,” Meis whispered. “Nice view.”

“You just wanted to show us the view, Boss?” Gueira asked. Meis smiled at that. Ever since they passed official leadership to Lio, Gueira had insisted on calling him such. Lio only complained about the title once, insisting he prefered just “Lio.” Yet even when Gueira kept calling him “Boss,” he didn’t complain after the first time. Then again, he probably did like it more than being called “kid” all the time. 

“I just wanted to talk to you two in private about something,” Lio said, not facing them. “I’ve been… thinking. For a while now, even before you let me be leader.”

“About?”

“About how we can help the other Burnish. The ones lost in the last Freeze Force attack.”

“What is there to do?” Gueira asked, face turning serious. “I mean… Freeze Force really upped their game lately. There’s not a whole lot we can do with the Burnish we got left.”

“Just hear me out first.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I’ve heard rumors on where they’ve been keeping a majority of the Burnish. A maximum security prison that’s incredibly difficult to break into from outside.”

“You mean that one floating base in the ocean?” Meis asked. “We’ve heard of it before. You can’t seriously be thinking of breaking in there.”

“It’s obviously not gonna be easy. They say it’s the big base where all captured Burnish eventually end up. Supposedly, it sits miles away from Promepolis’ coastline, with a fair share of trained Freeze Force soldiers and patrol guards. The only way to get there is by helicopter, and they’re  _ very  _ particular about anything else flying close to the base.”

“And you want our help in busting in, I’m assuming?” Meis raised an eyebrow.

“That’s correct.”

“So you want us to  _ steal  _ a helicopter?” Gueira asked, incredulous. “Boss, I know we’ve put our trust on you for this far, but I dunno if the Burnish we got left are enough to handle this.”

“That’s not exactly what I’m asking here…” Lio looked down, fixing his gloves. “This is going to be me asking a lot of you two…” He looked up with determination clear in his eyes. “ _ Just  _ you two.”

“You mean just the three of us are goin’ on this mission…?”

“It’d be too dangerous if we take more Burnish with us. You two are no doubt the most capable Burnish here. I mean, you’re basically the Generals of Mad Burnish at this point. And… I know I can trust you two. And that you trust me too. This isn’t going to be a simple, foolproof plan, but if you could just hear me out on this…”

The two exchanged glances again. Though it was hard to tell what Gueira was thinking, he nodded at Meis, who returned the gesture.

“Let’s hear it.”

\---

The more Lio explained his plan, the crazier it sounded to the two of them. Yet at the same time, it became clearer and clearer how much thought Lio had put into it. At some point during their stay at their new home, he had somehow found the materials to put together a hastily-scribbled map of the area. He was serious about his plot, that much was obvious.

“... We’ll have the others stay behind and keep the place ready for the influx of new Burnish,” Lio finished. “We’ll have to leave someone in charge though. Probably Radix or Laham. But we can worry about that later. For now, that’s what I’ve got.”

Gueira leaned back from hunching over the map for so long, groaning as his back cracked. “That’s quite a plan you got there, Boss,” he finally said after a long stretch.

“What do you think…?” he asked, for once sounding just the slightest bit uncertain with himself.

“... It might actually work,” Meis said after a long moment of pondering over the plan. It was crazy, and honestly a bit ridiculous, but something about it made  _ sense _ and he knew Gueira knew it too. “It’s a huge risk though… If this doesn’t work, we’ll end up imprisoned and experimented on.”

“... It’s okay if you don’t want to go through with it,” Lio said. “I genuinely believe this is the best shot we’ve got in getting into that prison. But I understand that you have your doubts.”

“Honestly--” Gueira cut in, “and I’m gonna really real for a sec here-- but honestly, yeah, we gotta put in a LOT of trust in you for this, Boss. I mean, Meis and I’ve seen firsthand how good the Freeze Force tech is when it comes to restraining Burnish. And if it’s only gotten advanced over the years? We can’t afford to gamble on something we don’t have a winning chance against. That’s not even counting the fact that Burning Rescue’s probably gonna make it onto the scene again.”

Meis looked at Lio, who was looking down at his hands again.

“So lemme ask you this,” Gueira continued, leaning over to meet Lio face-to-face, “do you know you’re capable of pulling this off?”

There was a long pause. Lio looked up to meet his eyes, eyebrows furrowed in determination. 

He gave a confident nod. “Yes,” he finally said. “I’m certain in myself.”

Gueira smiled at that, straightening up again and offering a hand to Lio, pulling him up to his feet when he took it. “That’s what I like to hear. I’m right behind you, Boss.”

“Same here,” Meis said with his own smile and nod. “You haven’t given us reason to doubt you yet.”

“Thank you two…” Lio sighed, apparently relieved. “I say we depart as soon as possible. Tomorrow, if that’s doable.”

“Sounds good.”

He began to descend the stairs, turning back to them. “I’m going to tell the others what’s gonna happen. Rest up soon, and we’ll leave for Promepolis first thing in the morning.”

“Got it!” Gueira grinned and waved him off. “We’ll be down in a bit!” The two watched him descend out of sight, but made no move to follow after. Gueira sighed and leaned against the rail. “He’s doing a real good job already,” he said after he was sure Lio was out of earshot.

“He really is,” Meis agreed. “I think we’re in good hands.”

“... But…”

“But?”

“I still gotta bad feeling about this. I don’t know what, but…”

“What kind of feeling?”

“Like…” Gueira shrugged. “I dunno how to explain it. I have this gut feeling like something big’s gonna happen soon, and Lio’s gonna end up in the middle of it with what he’s planning. Like, we all are, but him especially.”

“I get that feeling too.”

“You ain’t just saying that to agree with me?”

Meis shook his head. “No, I know it deep down too. He’s a beacon of hope for the rest of us that we’ve needed for a long time.” He turned to look around the area from where they stood, his eyes falling on the volcano not too far away. “… And I’ve been getting that feeling too. It’s kinda unsettling actually.”

“Yeah, right? Like…” He shuddered. “I don’t know, I just feel really uneasy right now.”

“No matter what happens after this jailbreak, we gotta do what we can to make sure Lio ends up okay.” 

Gueira followed his gaze. “Yeah,” he nodded. “Meis. What are you thinking?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time's gonna be a special one! That I promise you. It's gonna be an even bigger doozy that this one, I think!
> 
> Next time: Promare through the eyes of Gueira and Meis!


	10. Promare: Through Red and Blue Eyes pt. I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh it took four months just to post this part... I'm so sorry to keep you guys waiting! This semester really kicked me around, but I'm on break now! I'm gonna keep working as hard as I can on this fic, until my motivation is sucked out completely! I hope you enjoy this part!
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to the best friend, to the uncertain flame of hope I've found, that I've made thanks to this movie. You've repaired my heart in gold.

Yet another beautiful day in Promepolis. It felt strange to be walking around in the streets in the early morning, especially since the city was no doubt on high alert after the attack just a week ago. Not that anything was out of the ordinary, but evidently the rescue services had a tendency to jump at the call in this city. Even so, there wasn’t exactly anything stopping Lio, Gueira, or Meis from entering their target building except for the glass entrance doors.

The trio strode calmly into the elevator when it finally arrived at ground level. They avoided the gaze of the skeptical front desk worker who paid them no mind otherwise, even if they did look suspicious walking into a government building in the clothes they wore.

It was frankly incredible how lax the security was. Meis had even picked up a cup of complementary coffee near the receptionist desk for himself. “That was almost too easy,” he murmured, stirring the little stick in his drink. The trio stepped into the elevator, where thankfully no one else entered, probably deterred by their rough demeanor.

“How high we goin’, Boss?” Gueira asked.

“You know you don’t have to call me Boss…” Lio glanced around the elevator and spoke quietly. “We’ll go as high as we possibly can. It looks like access to the very highest floor is restricted to employees only, so we’ll have to make do with what we can. Remember: leave an exit for them.”

_ Ding.  _ The trio stepped out of the elevator into what seemed to be a mostly empty corridor, though they could hear voices when they pressed up against the doors leading to other rooms. 

Lio gestured for Gueira and Meis to come closer. “This is where we’ll split up. Keep as far away from the emergency exits as you can. Got it?”

Gueira smiled, cracking his knuckles and already getting excited. “Ready, Boss.”

“Understood,” Meis nodded. 

Lio nodded back, a small reassuring smile on his face as well. “I’m counting on you two.”

From there, the three split up into different directions on the floor, spreading out from each other. It was a big building to be sure. They needed a big target for this plan to work, after all. 

The heels of Gueira’s shoes squeaked against the pristine tile floor as he rounded a corner, passing by two workers in lab coats. Thankfully, they paid him no mind, and were conveniently headed in the direction of the emergency exit stairs Gueira had passed earlier. He grimaced and waited for them to pass out of sight, and waited patiently in the corner of the corridor. With an impatient tap of his foot, he stood and hung around. 

Soon enough, he perked up upon feeling the distant signal of heat from somewhere further down the hall. Meis’ flame. It was an indescribable feeling, but one he had gotten used to sensing over the years. The Burnish were connected in such an odd way that they could almost “feel” each other’s presence if they wanted to be known. Even Lio didn’t quite have an explanation, but he agreed it was indeed a phenomenon that existed.

Another heat signal. Lio’s. Gueira grinned widely.

Rubbing his palms together, he waited for the final signal. Heat rose throughout his body, collecting in his core and expanding to the tips of his fingers just as he could imagine it happening to Lio and Meis too. Already there were Burnish flames collecting at his feet. They had to act quickly now, he could hear someone elsewhere shouting in alarm. Hopefully they were close enough to the emergency exit stairs.

** _BOOOOM!!!_ **

In a brilliant explosion of fire, the whole floor suddenly burst into flame, with Gueira emerging triumphantly in his armor and on his ATV. 

“YEEHAW!!” he whooped, barreling down the corridor from the direction he came, a trail of fire in his wake. 

The rendezvous point was to be at the very highest point of the adjunct building, Lio had told them long before they arrived at the city. Gueira steered towards the nearest window, breaking through it effortlessly and without a care as his flames formed a spiraling path up and around the building. He could already see Meis similarly climbing a spiraling path up the building far above him on his bike. 

At the very highest point, Lio had somehow already made it up there, clad in his own armor. “Well done, you two,” he said simply as both Gueira and Meis dismounted their vehicles, which dissipated for the time being. 

“Nicely done yourself, Boss,” Meis returned with an excited chuckle. “This is gonna be quite the show for Burning Rescue…”

“And Freeze Force, yeah?!” Gueira pounded his fists together. “I can’t wait to finally get there…”

“We’ll have to deal with Burning Rescue first,” Lio reminded them, drawing attention to the flashing red and blue lights visible past the smoke in the distance. “Remember the plan, you two.”

“You sure we can’t rough ‘em up a little?” Gueira asked almost pleadingly. To his dismay, Lio shook his head. 

“As much as possible, keep it easy for them. But not so much that they’ll be suspicious.”

“Aww, really?” He gave a joking whine. “I’ve been itching for a fight…”

“You’ll get your chance, Gueira,” Meis said. “For now… we wait.”

Not five minutes later into the wait, something apparently caught Lio’s attention. He pointed inquisitively at something sailing straight up into the sky, even passing the smoke of their flames. “Hey. Look. What is that?”

Meis craned his head forward, squinting at what looked to be a Burning Rescue mech box flashing red and blue lights with a pole-like object attached to it. It sailed straight up into the air before slowly falling back down to the earth, still blaring siren sounds and flashing all the while. “Huh. Make a wish, you two.”

“I wish we could get to the action already,” Gueira said, tapping his armor’s foot impatiently.

_ CRASH!! _

…

“If there was supposed to be a firefighter in that thing, I’m pretty sure they just killed him,” Meis said. The box had landed near a group of workers who had made it to the lower rooftop. Miraculously, nobody seemed to be hurt by the careless landing.

“I would hope not…” Lio muttered. His attention was caught once again as the smoke started to clear, blown away by something. A Burning Rescue aircraft descended on the roof of the nearby building extension, presumably to pick up anybody who had been stranded on the top floor. “Look alive, you two.”

“Oh, I am SO ready,” Gueira chuckled, stretching his neck from side to side. Around them, Burnish flames were already snaking up to their level, no doubt giving away their position while feeding into their own flame, satisfying their urge to burn like a hearty meal would fill their stomachs at the same time. 

Some of the smoke blew away, revealing an unscathed rescue gear mech wielding that pole-like object from before. Within seconds, the Burnish smoke had cleared away, revealing the trio to the newcomer, who looked on in awe. 

With a newfound spike of energy, Meis leapt up onto his now-reformed bike, bouncing the front wheel once before reviving his engine. To the side, he caught a glimpse of Gueira similarly leaping up and landing on his ATV’s seat perfectly with a snide laugh. 

Lio, meanwhile, sat himself down on a throne of fire, leaning his head on his hand. “I trust you two to take care of this.”

Had this been anytime near when Lio first joined Mad Burnish, Gueira would’ve scoffed at his attitude. However, now he was ready to go through with his orders. “You can count on us, Boss…”

The man in the mech suit far below them had started spouting nonsense in the meantime, apparently having just left a conversation with someone on what was probably his communication line. “... Damn right I did!” he announced out of nowhere. “Gettin’ scorched is part of the job! If I let these pyros get away, the shame would kill me!”

Meis’ leg was bouncing in anticipation for Lio’s go-ahead, as was Gueira’s armored finger over his handlebar. 

“You flamed-covered terrorist trash—!”

Subtly, Lio nodded. 

With a rev of their engines, both of them drove forward with a triumphant cry, leaping off the building on their bikes. 

“Hey!” With his pole, the newcomer shot multiple ice shots at the duo, only for them to be dissipated by the streams of Burnish flames fired from the duo’s armor. The force of the blow was enough to knock his weapon out of his mech’s hands, leaving him defenseless.

With a gleeful laugh, both Gueira and Meis broke through the cloud of steam that erupted from the collision. The firefighter, to their surprise, had quick-enough of a mind to lift the windshield of his mech and fire at them with an ice gun, which barely did anything but scrape along the sides of their armor. One shot did manage to freeze one of the tires on Gueira’s ATV, but one tumble on the ground later and he rolled right back upright just in time to swipe a claw at the newcomer’s mech.

Meis, meanwhile, had landed safely on the ground and sped in for a follow-up, striking the mech again squarely with the shoulder arms on his armor. The man inside grunted in surprise, pieces of his gear scattering uselessly on the ground. Meis let out a taunting laugh as he circled around him, with Gueira following his lead and also laughing in mockery. 

“After that whole speech, that all you got?!”

“You the firefighting intern?!”

To their surprise, they could just faintly see a knowing smile hidden through the windshield. “Lucia,” he was saying into his communicator. “Now’s the time, do it!” With his still-functioning leg, he kicked up the weapon he had dropped, sending in spinning in the air before it inserted itself perfectly in a slot on his mech’s back. “Tech, engaged!”

He crossed his arms with confidence as multiple red and blue lights flashed from his staff’s centerpiece, before a cloud of cold mist suddenly expanded from the suit with enough force to deter Gueira and Meis from their bikes’ path.

“What the hell is going on…?” Meis asked as he and Gueira skidded to a stop a safe distance away from the cyclone of ice. All Gueira did in response was shrug. 

The sounds of his mech reassembling and transforming itself permeated through the roar of wind. From the heart of the cyclone, they could hear the firefighter talking as though he were part of a staged performance. 

“The fire may be gone, but the heat still lingers! On the scene and docked, MATOOOOIIII TECH!!” The cyclone broke with a rather impressive light show of red and blue once more, revealing the man in what looked to be a completely new set of armor. Sirens started to blare again as he posed. “I’ll extinguish you with my burning soul!”

_ Is this guy for real? _

A little flying contraption suddenly flew upwards to project a screen of what appeared to be a diagram of a man whose outfit bore resemblance to the new mech’s design. “Behold!” the firefighter exclaimed. “Matoi embodies the firefighting heritage and soul of a Far East Island Nation! It symbolizes the spirit of the brave men, who fought fires with their bare hands!”

_ He is for real. _

“Your reign of fiery terror ends today,” he continued. “You pyromaniac bastards!!”

Gueira finally spoke up. “This guy an idiot?”

“He’s definitely an idiot,” Meis agreed with a nod.

Without another word, Meis sped off to the side as Gueira reared back. They’d practiced and performed this maneuver many times before on the rare occasion they’d have to fight someone head-on, to the point that they didn’t have to do much to telegraph the maneuver to each other. With an energized shout, Gueira sent five powerful streams of fire at the mech, intent on distracting the firefighter long enough for Meis to get in close and strike again. However, to their shock, this new armor was incredibly fast, dodging each column of fire with newfound ease. It weaved around and under the first few streams, before tumbling on top of one as the distance between it and Gueira rapidly closed.

“He’s too fast!” Gueira shouted in genuine panic. He looked up in a mix of awe and shock as the “Matoi Tech” sailed above him before suddenly showering him in a freezing spray of ice. “No way!!” 

Out from the resultant cloud of ice, the firefighter emerged, spinning Gueira’s frozen body over his own a few times before cracking it open on the ground like an egg, with Gueira himself dropping out and getting slammed to the floor by three follow-up shots of ice. Each blow was heavy and slammed him into the ground forcefully. “That’s one!”

“Gueira!” Meis called out, distracted by the wide-eyed look on Gueira’s face as he laid rigid and stiff on the ground with hands and feet bound. It was a quick look, but even then he barely registered when the Matoi Tech suddenly appeared at his side. “What the--?!”

The mech’s staff suddenly jammed itself into his bike’s wheel, and suddenly Meis was flipping into the air with a surprised yelp. He barely heard the sound of the staff’s gun cocking before he too was suddenly shot at, his armor coated from head to toe in ice within seconds. The moment his armor’s head hit the ground, his armor split in two, leaving him also exposed to get ice-cuffed and sent sliding onto the ground next to Gueira.

The two laid there numbly, barely able to turn to look at each other with how their necks were restrained.

_ Well that was easy. _

“And that’s two!” the firefighter triumphantly declared, now focused on Lio, who watched from his throne looking almost bored. “Come on down, big boss!” he taunted. “Why don’t you get off your high horse?” The Matoi Tech started flashing lights again, blaring that siren that was starting to get annoying to listen to (especially so close to them.) “And fight me!  _ Man-to-man! _ ”

From the corner of his eye, Meis swore he could see a grin form on Gueira’s face as Lio stood from his throne in a grand gesture, carrying himself down from the roof of the building with his own flames. The flames that carried him collected and took shape to form his motorcycle, completing its reformation as it rammed hard into the firefighter, who only stood there in the same victory pose as before like a deer caught in headlights. The blow was hard enough to send the man flying back and nearly off the building, the sound of glass shattering audible from where the two fallen Burnish lay. 

“Nice one Boss…!” Gueira couldn’t resist saying. Lio may or may not have heard him, but he certainly had to have been feeling cocky enough from the hit to start driving his bike in donuts. “Kick his ass good…!”

“But not  _ too  _ good,” Meis half-chided, catching Gueira’s attention. He kept his voice low despite the firefighter’s shouting and the sound of his gun firing overpowering the sound. “Don’t forget the plan, Gueira.”

“I won’t, I won’t,” he scoffed.

“But also don’t get disappointed when Boss throws the--” 

The sound of Lio’s bike colliding with the Matoi Tech cut Meis off, and suddenly both Lio and the firefighter were sailing off the building and out of sight.

“OHO!!” Gueira cackled. “Did you see that?!”

“What?! No, what happened?!” Meis strained to turn his head and look.

“Boss just rammed that son of a bitch off the roof!” he laughed, attempting to sit up. He only succeeded in lifting his head up halfway before it fell back down to the ground with a  _ clunk _ . “Ow.”

“No use trying to watch.” Meis clicked his tongue. “Guess we wouldn’t wanna let anyone think we could still move in these anyway…”

They’d seen a lot of different methods used by the Freeze Force to restrain a Burnish. In recent years, the divisions of the Force that Mad Burnish had run into had more advanced tech compared to when Gueira and Meis first turned. They’d heard from the other Burnish about cuffs that froze you at even the slightest hints of abnormally high temperatures. 

This obviously wasn’t that advanced. It was just ice. Gueira tried to force his wrists apart within the icy cuffs. In truth, even he and Meis could break free of these with some effort. It was just a matter of controlling their flames a specific way, maybe channeling some anger too. But of course, there wasn’t any use doing that now. 

So they waited. 

And waited. 

They could hear parts of the building collapsing in on itself from where they laid, but there was no watching the action. 

“Man, how long do you think they could go at it?” Gueira asked. In the distance they could hear the sound of the firefighter’s ice gun firing, followed by more of the building collapsing in the distance. “How long have we been here?”

“I’d say five minutes—“

“Varys, you take the other side of the building, I’m taking the vantage point off this side!” The sound of a mech climbing up the side of the building caught their ears. The ground shook as two mechs passed by where Gueira and Meis waited, and soon the mechs were climbing the rest of the building. “Tch. Looks like that idiot actually got them…” they could hear the same voice say as it passed. 

Gueira sighed. “Man, we really are missing all the action…”

—-

The sound of approaching Freeze Force tanks caught Gueira’s ears a few minutes later. He turned his head to find a few tanks hovering in towards where those two other Burning Rescue mechs had been heading. He grimaced. Years of a life on the run tuned his ears to the now-familiar whirring of the tanks’ engines as they shifted into their all-terrain form. 

“Looks like they got Boss—“ he began to say before he was suddenly yanked up by the foot. “— HEY!!”

“Got one of ‘em.” He didn't know  _ how  _ the soldiers snuck up on them like that, especially with how heavy their footsteps were on the ground. Gueira, now dangling by his ankles, heard Meis yelp as he too was picked up. “Let’s haul ‘em in.”

This was all going swimmingly according to their plan, yet Gueira couldn’t help but struggle where he was. “HEY!! Put us down! You got a death wish?!” The world seemed to spin around him, and suddenly he was slung over the soldier’s shoulder, the momentum of the movement knocking the wind out of his lungs. “Ack—! You listening to me?!”

He heard Meis shout in protest as he got proper, box-shaped cuffs slammed onto his limbs before getting tossed into the tank roughly. 

“Meis!” Gueira snorted an angry breath, and he was half-thankful for the cuffs being slammed on  _ his  _ hands and feet before he could melt the ice ones already on him and ruin the whole plan. He too was tossed unceremoniously into the tank, much more roughly on the floor instead. 

He looked up at the scene not too far from them. Even though it was a quick meeting before, he could recognize the hulking figure of the Freeze Force’s leader. Apparently he was arguing with what looked like Burning Rescue’s leader, a well-built man in his own right whom Gueira would probably mistake for a beach lifeguard in any other setting. On the floor was that blue-haired fireman, writhing in pain from… something. 

There was something vexing to Gueira about the fact that he had been shirtless the whole time and hadn’t even sustained any visible injuries. 

“Gueira,” Meis’ voice caught his attention. “You okay?”

Gueira made a “tsk” sound and attempted to sit up, to no avail. “I’m fine, I’m fine… What I wouldn’t give to blast that bastard while his back’s turned…”

Meis’ gaze followed his to the Freeze Force leader, who was dealing with Lio now, whom they could see had been cuffed properly as well. “So that’s the leader…”

Both their eyes widened upon witnessing the Freeze Force leader slam his knee harshly into Lio’s back before slamming him down and tossing him to a subordinate. With a crash, Lio too was tossed into the tank, landing just behind Gueira.

“Boss!” He attempted to sit up again. “You okay?!”

He heard a quiet groan behind him. “I’m fine.”

The door suddenly slammed shut, and almost instantly the temperature seemed to drop inside the cell. With some effort, both Gueira and Lio managed to pick themselves up and sit down properly on the bench Meis sat in. 

Lio said nothing from that point on. None of them did. 

\---

The ride to the Burnish prison spanned hours of quiet contemplation. The trio didn’t want to risk uttering a single word implicating their plan. Lio had warned them that much that morning. Yet the numbing silence was getting unbearable even in the tense circumstances. 

Gueira was snapped out of his thoughts by the shivering right next to him. He glanced at Meis, whose arms and legs were shaking. Being Burnish usually meant they didn’t feel temperature extremes as much as normal people did. Yet the inside of the helicopter was much colder than anything they were used to. 

Without a word, Gueira scooted closer to him. It wasn’t much at all, hell it barely qualified for anything, just sitting closer in hopes of sharing heat. But Meis’ quivering slowed nonetheless. 

When they actually arrived at the prison, it was already dark. Getting a good look around them, it was apparent just why this prison was so infamous. The whole facility was its own metal platform of an island, towering hundreds of feet over the ocean’s surface. From what the trio could see when they stepped out of the helicopter, that  _ was  _ the only helicopter on the entire platform. One way in, one way out. It could’ve qualified for a Burnish version of Alcatraz. 

Which was going to make their plan’s execution all the more satisfying if-- no,  _ when  _ they pulled it off.

Even the soldiers, dressed down compared to the armored officers who arrested Mad Burnish, were mostly silent as they escorted the trio inside. They simply pointed the way inside, and took formation. A couple led in front of them, and three others positioned behind the trio with guns pointed at their backs just in case. 

The facility was dead quiet save for two things: the sound of footsteps walking over the cold, metal floor; and what sounded like Kray Foresight’s speech over Burning Rescue’s victory. 

“The Burnish suddenly appeared 30 years ago,” Foresight was saying. “Large fires caused by fire-handling mutants took a big toll on the world.”

Gueira hadn’t expected to see the monitors broadcasting the victory speech in the hallways. He wondered for a moment what they were for. Then it dawned on him: to break the Burnish’s spirit even further. 

“But, now the Burnish threat’s being driven out,” the broadcast continued. “Thanks to Burning Rescue’s intervention, Mad Burnish’ leader was arrested. This marks the end of the flame terrorist group.”

_ That’s what they thought, at least. _

Finally, they arrived at their cell. The door opened, and the trio looked in. It was dead silent with an air like a funeral. Inside were about a dozen Burnish, more than half of them wrapped in bandages over some parts of their bodies. They wore the same handcuffs, but had cuffs linking their feet together in addition to that.

They were barely given a second to take in the scene before them before a guard roughly shoved Lio in, followed by Gueira and Meis, who landed on top of him. 

Lio attempted to lift himself off the ground, turning to the door as it shut. “Wait—!”

Gueira leapt to his feet, anger reignited. So this was how the Burnish were treated once they were transferred from all those holding facilities to here. They’d landed next to a couple of kids who clearly hadn’t been spared from the evidently inhumane experiments that were talked about in passing rumors from other Burnish. Just the sight of them tipped over the anger in him.

He huffed a furious breath, temper finally at its peak. “HEY!!” he shouted after the soldiers outside and started to flail about. “He said wait, dammit—!”

Instinctively and against his better judgment, he attempted to flare up within his constraints, only to realize his mistake a split second before they started to beep rapidly. Suddenly, he was enveloped in a cold blast, frozen from head to toe. He fell forward, shattering the ice instantly but leaving him shivering and covered in bits of ice. 

“It’s no use.” The trio turned their heads to an old man sitting against the wall, his head wrapped in bandages and the glasses on his face cracked and falling. “You'll only get frozen limbs.”

“Looks like it…” Lio mumbled. 

The trio surveyed the room in the following silence. There was not a single Burnish in the room who wasn’t at least partially covered in bandages. Every one of them wore a weary expression. Even the kids having bags under their eyes. 

“Boss…” Meis gently elbowed Lio to direct his attention to the very end of the room. 

Next to him, Gueira and Meis were staring at a couple Burnish on the floor, clearly in the worst condition out of everyone in the room. 

In particular, there were a couple Burnish, a man and a woman, lying on the floor. They didn’t look to be in any condition capable of summoning a flare with how sickly they looked. The man was turned on his side, facing towards the wall with his chest barely rising with each breath. The woman, though, had no handcuffs at all, as her arms were completely covered in sloppily-tied bandages. Against the wall were a few others, also evidently injured and wearing expressions of defeat on their faces, likely in mourning for their dying friends. 

“My god…” Gueira said, his voice filled with disgust not towards the prisoners, but at the condition inflicted on them. 

“It’s terrible…” Meis said. 

“It’s like they say.” Lio looked down at them. It was evident the moment the cell door opened that the rumors of experimentation were true. But the extent of it… 

The old man spoke up again. “You were our only hope, but now you’re caught too.” He spoke in a tired voice, one depleted of hope. 

The woman on the floor, meanwhile, barely found the strength to raise one hand to the sky. At whom, nobody could really tell, as her gaze was far off. 

“Boss,” Gueira whispered, urging Lio to look. Once he caught sight of her, he immediately knelt down to her side. 

There wasn’t any telling what she needed or wanted. And there was certainly no way for any of them to fulfill any request she wanted. But she didn’t request anything. “What… have we done to deserve this…?” was all she said. 

It was quiet. Lio said nothing, only giving her an apologetic look. They all knew the answer to that. They did nothing but become Burnish. Becoming Burnish was a sin in of itself in this society. There was nothing to be done about it once they turned. Just their mere existence warranted this treatment.

“...” Meis grimaced as he looked down at her. She continued to breathe in ragged, shaky breaths as she weakly turned her head to face them. There was no mistaking who she was, even with her body wrapped in bandages and her once-tan skin now pallored from sickness. Her hand dropped to the ground as he could’ve sworn he saw her eyes shine with recognition. “You’re… that woman we took away. On our last raid…”

Gueira seemed to understand instantly, recognition dawning in his eyes. “It is…”

Her eyes looked far off even as she looked up at them, as if she was drifting in and out of consciousness. She made a soft noise, as if she wanted to speak again, but no other comprehensible word came from her mouth. It was clear that speaking even for a brief moment took nearly all her energy. 

“What did they do to you?” Gueira finally asked, and Meis didn’t miss the crack in his voice even as he barely spoke above a whisper. “How could they do this to you…?!” He was trembling now, not from the cold of their cell but from anger. 

Meis closed his eyes shut, looking away. 

_ This wouldn’t have happened to her if it weren’t for them. This was exactly what Lio was talking about. Everything they did, all the havoc they caused, all the needless carnage… All it did was make the Burnish’s situation worse in the end.  _

Meis’ eyes opened again as he suddenly felt her bandaged hand fall upon his thigh. He looked up, his eyes meeting hers. Neither said anything. He wished badly to hold her hand back, to comfort her in some way. If only those damn cuffs weren’t in the way… He couldn’t do anything but touch his exposed forearm to her hand and look at her in pity.

Yet it was enough. It was enough to make her smile just a little, the corners of her lips tugging upward.

“I’m sorry,” was all Meis could think to say as her eyes fluttered closed to rest. “It’s going to be alright.”

“Is it really?” They turned their attention to the old geezer. “There’s no point in giving false hope. You Mad Burnish were all we had left… You were all we had fighting for us…”

“You just have to trust in us,” Gueira said, only to be gently shushed by Meis with a nudge to his side. 

“What do you mean…?” the old man asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Meis insisted. “Nothing to do now but wait…”

The silence in the prison chamber was eerie, almost haunting. Despite the dozen or so Burnish cooped up into the tight space, there was hardly any conversation. 

There wasn’t much else to do but wait. And so that’s what everyone did. Nothing to do but make themselves comfortable. 

While Meis kept an eye on Thyma and the other Burnish on the ground next to her, Gueira looked at the two kids huddled against the wall. The boy, with nearly his entire face bandaged, locked eyes with him briefly before he just as quickly broke contact. Somehow, despite their situation, Gueira managed to smile. 

“Hey, it’s alright,” he gently said. “I don’t bite.”

Neither child said anything, only looking at the floor dejectedly. 

“... How long have you all been here?” Gueira asked, now directed at everyone in the cell. No one said anything at first. “... That’s alright, never mind...”

The old man spoke up. “When you’re in here for as long as we’ve been, you lose track of time real quick.” He deliberately knocked his head against the wall a couple times. “Especially with all the things they do to you here.”

“It’s horrible…” Meis muttered, catching Gueira’s gaze. “What do they do to the Burnish that caused something as bad as this…?”

“It varies, really…” the old man said. “If you’re fresh meat, they like to strap you to a wheel and spin the flames outta ya.”

The boy against the wall winced. 

“Spin...?” Lio echoed in confusion. 

The old man nodded. “Oh yes! You’re stuck there, blazing outta control… You can’t stop it, the spinning or the flames spewing outta you. It’s worse than I make it sound. It’s like it sucks the breath outta you. And then? When you beg to stop? They take you off, all right, but then? They strap you down and they—“ He made a vague sawing motion with his cuffed hands. “They torture ya.”

“Torture…?” Meis gave an uneasy look, surveying the still-blank looks on most of the other Burnish’ faces. 

“You’re lucky if you make it back to the cell with your limbs intact. If you don’t lose your voice from screaming, sometimes they cut yer vocal cords themselves.” The boy winced again. “Why, with Thyma—“

“Hey, cut it out…!” Gueira snapped, his brief outburst echoing off the cell walls. He looked worriedly at the boy, who was now shivering and evidently holding back tears. “Hey… hey, it’s alright, it’s okay… They’re not gonna hurt you for much longer.”

The boy looked up at him, stoic façade finally broken to reveal wet eyes. 

“Just wait a little longer, okay?”

“Hope isn’t going to die for us that easily,” Lio joined in. “Please believe us when we say that.”

“Oh…?” The old man cocked his head to the side. “How could you say that so confidently? You were our only hope, but you’re captured now too… What can you possibly do?”

“Oh, you’ll see,” Gueira chimed in again. “In the meantime, you best stop scaring everyone more than you need to.”

The conversation died down at that point. Soon, silence fell once more like a heavy weight on everyone’s shoulders. 

\---

There wasn’t really telling how much time had passed when the jail cell door finally opened up. Nobody flinched at the sudden intrusion, yet there was a tense chill in the air, as if everybody was bracing themselves to be picked for the next experiment. 

Instead, the guard who opened the door looked right at Lio, Gueira, and Meis. “You three, get out. We’re transferring you.”

There was no fighting it. There was no need to, really. Begrudgingly, the trio stood and calmly started to walk out. From the corner of his eye, Meis could see Gueira turn his head back to look at the other Burnish. When they emerged, a couple other soldiers walked close by to keep them in place. There wasn’t any talking. No explanation, not even a callous remark or insult. 

Gueira and Meis could both already feel the heat of their flames trying to summon themselves in response to Lio in front of them. He spoke in a hushed tone, only loud enough for the two to hear him, and kept his instruction short. 

“Gueira.”

“Boss.”

“Meis.”

“Mm.”

“Let’s do it.”

Lio closed his eyes, as did Gueira and Meis. As if on cue, they felt a surge of energy collect from throughout their body, to the core of their chest. Both Gueira and Meis steadied their breathing, staying close to Lio as the warmth of their flame channeled to him directly. It was like the flare-up they performed before every raid, but rather than let their flames blaze out of control, that energy felt as though it were concentrating around one point. That point was Lio. 

The cuffs on Lio’s hands began to beep rapidly, just as Gueira’s did before in the cell. However, no ice spewed out to stop him. Rather, the cuffs beeped until something finally gave way inside them, and suddenly they were sliding right off his hands. 

The guards in front of them instantly took notice. “Bastard—!” Two of them immediately turned around and pointed their guns at him, only for Lio to jam his fists into the barrels.

“We Burnish are free,” he declared simply. “I won’t allow the Foundation to do what they want.”

A blast of fire blew each guard away. Before the guards behind the trio could react, Lio spun around, throwing another blast at them and past Gueira and Meis. 

With a smile, Gueira and Meis thrust their own cuffs into the stream of fire, breaking them instantly. Apparently those things were only good for stopping fire from the inside, or their Boss was just that good.

“Many thanks,” Meis said, finally stretching out his fingers. His eye caught on one of the guns dropped by the soldiers. 

“Go free the others,” Lio ordered. 

“Right!”

“And don’t kill anyone,” he reminded, turning to face the squadron of soldiers bounding their way. “From now on, we don’t kill without reason.”

Meis picked up the gun and stood again with Gueira, whose smile still hadn’t faded off his face from excitement. “Yeah yeah, I know!”

The duo broke out into a sprint as they heard the roar of Burnish flames travel down the hall, followed by the cries of the patrolling soldiers. A few seconds later, alarms started blaring throughout the hallways. 

Breakout was in session. 

“You know how to use that thing, Meis?” Gueira asked as he slammed his fist against a button next to one of the cells. It opened immediately, revealing a dozen other Burnish staring wide-eyed at the duo. 

“Dunno, but I’ll figure it out!” As if on cue, Meis turned and pulled the trigger on the gun at a few approaching soldiers, all-too-easily incapacitating them in their own ice. Sweet, cathartic irony. He grunted against the knockback from the blow, then smiled to himself. “Oh shit, this thing’s got some kick in it.”

“Come on, we’re busting out!” Gueira instructed the prisoners inside the cell, and soon Burnish were piling out of the room, some hesitating and others eager to get out. They came upon the cell they were just in next, immediately opening it.

The Burnish inside, especially the old man, looked surprised to see them again so soon and completely unharmed. “You’re…”

“Breaking a cuff like that is no problem for the Boss!” Gueira bragged. “Now come on! Go down this way, Boss is taking care of the fighting on the other side!”

“Keep moving!” Meis joined in, catching up to Gueira, who was already opening the other cells in rapid fashion. One by one, each door opened up, each one revealing a room of surprised and wide-eyed Burnish. “Get out, everyone! We’re taking you outta here!”

All the while, Meis kept an eye out down the hall and fired away at the first sign of a soldier. He almost wanted to laugh aloud at how  _ easy  _ it was to dispatch each wave. Every time one of them tried to shoot back, they’d somehow miss and fall victim to his own gun. It was almost—

It was almost too easy. 

Meis squinted as he gunned down another couple of soldiers. For what was supposed to be a maximum security prison, the security felt rather… lax. 

A familiar voice as Gueira opened another cell snapped him out of his thoughts briefly. “Bosses! You really came for us?!” Meis spun around to find Leonix, now with his forehead wrapped in bandages, stumbling out of the next cell. 

“Nix!” He greeted with a look of relief. “Come on, we gotta get outta here! No time to chat!”

“R-Right! By the way, which way are we supposed to go?”

Before either of the two generals could answer, the grating sound of tires squealing and something crashing in the adjacent hall caught their attention. The duo, along with some of the more curious Burnish, rounded the corner leading back to the hallway Lio had stayed in. Further down the hall, a tank (how the hell was it even inside?) had topped over, one of its tires burning and still spinning in the air. 

Lio picked himself off the ground, gesturing for everyone to follow. “Everyone, hurry! Outside!” He started running for the exit. 

“Who—“

“Just follow him!” Meis ordered as he and Gueira ran back to open more of the cells. “Gueira, come on! No one left behind!”

“No one left behind” Gueira cackled in agreement. 

“There they are!!” Another Freeze Force soldier rounded the corner, shooting brazenly at the duo. 

Meis clicked his tongue as a bullet very nearly grazed his shoulder. He dove to one side as Gueira dove to the other. With just a few misfired shots, he managed to freeze the soldier, though at the cost of his last bullets. “Tsk, already out…” He clicked his tongue, tossing the gun to the side. “Maybe I could get another--”

“E-Excuse me, wait!” It was another voice calling out to them. 

“Huh? What is—“ Meis stopped short as he turned around to find a couple of the other Burnish struggling to carry Thyma with them. She was clearly in no condition to run and had to be held up by her companions on shaky legs. “Ah! Here, lemme—” He immediately took her in his arms, tucking one hand under her legs and another under and around her back. She was light-- concerningly so.

“You got her?” Gueira asked as he motioned for the other prisoners to follow. “If you want, I can--”

“I got her,” Meis insisted. “Your flame’s stronger. You can protect us from here, right?”

Gueira nodded wordlessly. “Come on, I think that should be everyone in the cells. Let’s make another round to be sure. Everyone, move out!”

As soon as they were sure they’d unlocked all the cells they could, they booked it to the entrance of the facility where Lio was already taking care of the few guards stationed on the landing deck for the facility’s sole helicopter. Gueira ran ahead of Meis, eager to help. 

“Boss! What can I do?!” 

“Disarm any soldiers still in the copter and start it up!”

With a gleeful shout, Gueira dashed ahead while Meis stayed behind with Thyma at the front of the prisoner crowd. She stirred in his arms, finally, and looked up at him, making an inquisitive noise.

He looked down at her and gave her a reassuring smile. “We’re almost there,” he said. “Hang in there, alright?”

Gueira yanked open the helicopter’s door and dragged the soldier in the pilot’s seat out, forcing him down and kicking him once for good measure before Lio restrained him with his flame. 

“Nice job!” Lio said. “Now start it!”

“Wait, start it?!”

“I’ll get the key!” he said. In one quick move, he searched the soldier and retrieved his key, stomping on his hand when he tried to lift it off the ground for good measure. He then tossed the key to Gueira, who started up the aircraft. “Gueira, you’re in charge of flying this thing,” Lio said. 

“W-Wait—“

“I’ll be flying nearby to lead the way. Follow my flame and I’ll lead us to the safe point to recuperate. We have to act fast or they’ll gather reinforcements and track us down.”

“Uh, hold on—“

Lio watched as the other Burnish piled in, with Meis carefully carrying Thyma inside before jumping back out to join Gueira. “Close the loading door,” Lio continued. “I think that’s everyone. Take off as soon as you can and I’ll follow. I’m gonna make sure no soldiers follow us.”

He ran out of sight before Gueira could get another word in. 

Gueira looked at Meis with wide, panicked eyes. “Uh, Meis?!”

“Don’t look at me, I don’t know how to fly it either!” Meis stammered. 

“Shit, okay, first thing’s first: loading doors.”

The two quickly surveyed the controls in front of them. “Uh… I think this one should close the loading doors…”

To Gueira’s relief, it did. Just the one small victory didn’t do anything to stop his hands from shaking at the wheel. He glanced at Meis with a crooked grin.

“Uh— can we trade spots?! You got your driver’s license, so you’re way more qualified to try!”

“Fuck no, this is way different!” Meis groaned. “Gueira, I swear to fucking god, if we came  _ this  _ far only for all of us to die in a goddamn helicopter crash—“

With a pull of a few levers and a couple lucky button presses, the helicopter’s rotor blades started spinning. “I got this, I got this! I think! I don’t have a choice!” Gueira started yelling frantically. “Shit, where’s the headlights—“

“The knob at the side! The— Lio’s lighting the way anyway, just get us up in the air!”

Gueira pulled the steering wheel back in a futile effort. “Like this?! This is how you do it, right?!”

“I think! Maybe?!” The whole helicopter started to tilt ever-so-slightly back. “Fuck, you’re gonna scare all the passengers!”

“I’m trying!!” Somehow, by some miracle, Gueira managed to get the aircraft to rise straight up into the air with the pull of a lever. “All right, now forward!” He pushed forward on the wheel, throwing his body along with it. 

“You’re doing it!” Meis looked out the window to find Lio already flying upwards with his flames. “Lio’s following too!”

“Okay, we got this!” He let out a triumphant but nervous laugh. “We are a go! Let’s blow this pop stand!!”

\---

Starting a helicopter was one thing. Steering it was another. Landing it was a whole new, much scarier can of worms that Gueira and Meis (and probably everyone else in the back of the craft) internally dreaded. 

“What does the fucking manual say about landing?!” Gueira demanded for the sixth time. “Meis, come on!! Lio’s already landed— he’s doing the whole airplane landing guy thing!”

“I’m trying, I’m trying!” Meis yelled, flipping through the pages of the manual he had found under the seat. “Don’t fly so close to the trees, idiot! We’re gonna blow up if you do that!”

“This is the exact opposite of inconspicuous!” Gueira’s hands were shaking on the steering wheel as he tried to lower the helicopter slowly. “Come on, please, just work with me here!”

A few more flipped pages and Meis was already reaching over the control panel. “Got it! Pull this, and that button should activate the landing gear…”

It took a few (terrifying) seconds of trial and error, but with enough careful last-minute reading, somehow the aircraft managed to land roughly after just barely brushing against a tree once or twice with the help of Lio’s flame carrying it down. The landing itself caused the whole helicopter to bounce violently against the hardened black flame, but after they were certain it wasn’t going to explode, the duo slumped over in their seats and turned off the engine. 

“Hooooly fucking shit,” Gueira laughed. “We’re alive…”

“Thank God…” Meis barely managed, making a sound akin to both a laugh and a sob. 

Lio yanked the door open, also visibly relieved and slightly disheveled. “Thank goodness you two are all right…” he smiled crookedly. “You had me really worried there. Open the loading doors, I found the cave.”

Gueira only laughed sheepishly in response as he did as he was told.

If there were any complaints about the rocky landing, the Burnish were thankfully quiet about it. One by one, they all filed out of the aircraft. By the time Meis had dismounted from the pilot’s cockpit, Gueira and Lio were leading everyone to the cave. 

It was a cold and musty cave, but it served as a decent stop earlier that day when the trio was headed for Promepolis. Lio quietly ventured just a little further in, flame in hand lighting his way, and he gave a relieved smile to find the supplies they had stockpiled were still undisturbed. A hefty sack full of preservatives, a few piles of old blankets…

“Good, it’s all still here,” Lio sighed. 

“Told ya there was hardly any chance of anyone finding this place,” Gueira grinned. He eagerly took one stack of blankets and handed it to Meis so he could pick up another. “We’ll start handing these out.”

“Thanks, you two. There might not be enough blankets for us all… Most of them might have to share.”

“We’ll make do with what we can,” Meis said. “Start heating up the food. They all look famished…”

It was very much unlike the Mad Burnish back at their settlement. Back home, even for a spacious base, there was always someone talking up a storm with their voices echoing off the walls. Here, there was mostly silence even in such a small space. A somber atmosphere permeated the cave’s insides even as they were free to light a fire and huddle around for warmth. There was hardly any conversation, even from the faces Gueira and Meis recognized as their old friends. It had been a relief to see them still alive during the breakout when they were being herded outside, but now they looked mostly tired. Most of them smiled in acknowledgement and gratitude when Gueira or Meis handed them supplies. But some remained straight-faced, an empty look in their eyes telling enough of their experiences. 

But at least they were okay. Many were bandaged, some visibly traumatized. There was still a certain warmth to their reunion, but also a sense of mourning. 

Meis stopped for a moment as he recognized Andrei, hair now cut short and most of their right arm bandaged, sitting against the wall with Bianca passed out next to them. “Andrei.”

They perked up upon seeing him, a smile briefly warming him. “Boss…! You actually did it, you maniacs… You actually came and broke us out.

“It was our duty to save you,” Meis said as he handed them a blanket. It was immediately draped over Bianca. It was then that he noticed the bandages around her neck. Meis’ own smile faded. “We had to make it up somehow… We let you all down.”

“Hon, don’t go saying that… You did everything you could.”

His gaze remained low and somber. “... Where’s Ravio? I haven’t seen…”

That was when Andrei’s smile faded as well. “We think he got taken to Promepolis with some others,” they muttered. “Probably being used as experiment fodder with whatever they’re doing there…”

“He wasn’t taken with you to the prison?”

“They split us up when we were first captured, I guess... I thought I’d see him during the breakout, but some of the other Burnish said their friends were probably taken to Foresight himself.”

Meis felt his heart sink for the umpteenth time that day. “Bastard… so we really couldn’t even save everyone…” 

Andrei put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey… you did what you could. Every life you saved here is gonna get better ‘cause of you lot. Even if you can’t say everyone made it out... every life matters. It’s hard not to regret the things you didn’t do, but you gotta still find hope in what you did accomplish.”

Meis gave a half-hearted smile and rose to his feet. “Thanks, Andrei. One day, we’ll just have to get him and the others back…”

They nodded. “I know you will.”

Gueira looked over his shoulder at the two before turning back to continue handing out food. He spotted the two kids from the cell they were in before and quietly approached them. They were apparently running back inside the cave, with the girl whispering to the boy until they saw Gueira approach, at which point the girl immediately shut her mouth. 

“Hey,” Gueira greeted softly. “Were you two outside just now?”

Neither of them said anything, averting their eyes to the floor instead. The girl briefly looked up and locked eyes with Gueira, before turning away again. 

“I’m not mad. But we just don’t want you two wandering off too far, okay?”

The boy with the bandages over his head nodded sheepishly, as did the girl once she saw him nodding. 

“Are… we gonna get followed?” she asked, her voice much raspier than Gueira would have expected. 

“We should be okay, I think… We just wanna be safe.” He fished around in his bag of food and pulled out a small water bottle. “Here, you should drink up. Do you two like…” He started fishing through the bag again. “Oh, you like chicken noodle soup?”

They both nodded. 

“Here, sit down.” They did as told, the girl opening the bottle and taking a nice, long drink before handing it to the boy, who just as greedily drank the rest of it. Meanwhile, Gueira pulled back the lentils on two cans and started heating them in the palms of his hands with a smile. 

“Are we gonna live here now?” the girl asked. 

He shook his head. “Nah, where we’re going is way better than this. It’s in the desert, but out there we’ll be a lot safer from Freeze Force. Lotsa room to run around! You’re gonna love it.”

She paused. “What’s… your name again?”

“Heh. Name’s Gueira.” He smiled again and handed a can of soup to each of them. “And you are?”

“I’m Paola…” the girl said. She gestured to the boy. “And… this is my brother, Uri. He can’t talk.” Uri raised a hand in greeting before trying to sip from the can. 

“I like those names,” Gueira said, not wanting to pry. He watched Uri start to gulp down his soup. “Wow, you’re gulping it down like a champ! Y’know, before I became Burnish, I could never drink stuff like coffee. Kept burning my tongue.”

Uri stopped drinking to give Gueira a big smile. He returned it just as widely. 

“Gueira,” Lio’s voice called out to him. Gueira stood up to find Meis and Lio together, the latter making a gesture at him to come over. 

“I’ll see you two later,” he said to the kids. “Eat up and rest, okay?”

Lio spoke in a soft voice as soon as Gueira joined them. “I have a job for you two.”

“Yeah?”

Lio gestured for them to come closer, the three huddling a little further away from the rest of the group. “I need you two to go out and find some trucks.”

“Trucks?” Gueira echoed.

“The helicopter’s too conspicuous,” Lio explained. “Freeze Force knows we’re on the run by now. They’ll be looking for a stolen helicopter. But if we could secure a few trucks, we could drive the rest of the way to the settlement. It’d be… safer in general, too.”

“Understood,” Meis simply said. “You’ll be okay here?”

“I’ll keep watch,” Lio said. “We’ll be fine. Just be careful. Be vigilant.”

Gueira nodded, already heading out the cave entrance. Meis turned to follow, only for Lio to catch his arm. 

“Meis.”

“Yes?”

“Take your time if you need to. We’ll be here having a meal, but don’t be reckless.” He let go of him. “And watch out for Gueira. Make sure he doesn’t do anything reckless either.”

“You know I always do,” Meis muttered as he left, picking up the pace to match Gueira ahead of him. 

The two stayed mostly quiet on their trek to the main road. It didn’t take too long to find the telltale concrete road. It was just off the coast of a nearby frozen lake. Silently, they both opted to keep their distance from the road and walk through the shrubbery on the side to hide from any passing vehicles. It was quiet besides the sound of their shoes stepping on fallen leaves and broken branches.

Thankfully, Gueira broke the rather tense silence. “Man, I still can’t believe we managed to pull all that shit off.”

“I know,” Meis said. “Nicely done, by the way.”

“Same to you,” Gueira complimented back, bowing like a gentleman. “Man, I wish I’d grabbed one of those guns. Would’ve been sweet if we could’ve taken one of those back. What did it feel like?”

“I guess you could say… pretty cool.”

“Hah. Haha.” Gueira laughed flatly. “Man, we haven’t lost our spark, huh?! Imagine if we could’ve fought those bitches for real without having to worry about the plan!”

Meis hummed. “To think it even went that well… even the capture part.”

Gueira kicked a rock and shoved his hands in his pocket. “Yeah, that…! Definitely went according to plan…” he muttered. 

“... That rookie from Burning Rescue—“

“Okay, honestly? That dude pisses me off like, majorly,” Gueira huffed. “Who the hell does he think he is, giving a goddamn fucking PowerPoint in the middle of a job like that…”

“Oh?” Meis snickered. “Someone’s pride got a bit jabbed?”

“Pfft, I’m just saying,” Gueira waved his hand. “Aside from that Vulcan bastard? I’d wanna kick that guy’s ass too. ‘Specially for how he treated Boss. Gettin’ all up in his face like he’s some big shot… Reminds me of those assholes from school.”

Meis’ eyebrow furrowed on hearing Vulcan’s name. Come to think of it… “Hey… we didn’t see him during the breakout, did we?”

Gueira stopped suddenly, tone turning serious. “Yeah… come to think of it.”

“Does that strike you as odd at all? He just dropped us off… I would’ve thought they’d be more cautious with the leaders of Mad Burnish captured.”

Gueira shrugged. “Since he’s the leader, he probably had bigger fish to fry. I guess. We don’t know how their duties work. Isn’t there a difference between patrolling officers and prison guards anyway? Like, in regular police?”

“Right. But it’s still… odd. The breakout was definitely easier than I anticipated…” Not that there was any doubt to be had with Lio on their side, but the fact they were able to get anywhere near the sole helicopter on the premises without trouble… “You don’t think it was too easy, do you?”

“I dunno… I wouldn’t wanna worry about it now,” Gueira shrugged again as he hopped down a small slope. “We’re basically home free! As long as we can keep outta sight till we get to the settlement, we’re free men now.”

“Free men, huh…” Meis smiled fondly as he hopped down the slope as well. The idea of finally having a home to go to… He wondered how the rest of Mad Burnish was doing at the settlement, as the only tasks they were given were to secure supplies as necessary and spruce up the place for an influx of newcomers. His and Gueira’s room had already begun to feel like home, small as it were. He was actually looking quite forward to getting home and taking a nice, long nap once everyone else had settled in. “I guess I can’t help but worry, but…”

“Meis, check it out.” Gueira grabbed his arm and pulled him over to where he had been standing, and he pointed to the mountainous shape in the distance. “Look, from here you can see that volcano. We’re practically there already! It’s just gonna be a little while of driving.”

“Oh, wow, you’re right.” Even from where they stood, Meis swore he could feel the heat of Fennel Volcano… or perhaps it was just the heat rising to his face from how close Gueira’s face was to his.

“What do you wanna do when we all finally settle in, Meis?”

“What do you mean?”

“Y’know… we could basically start living our lives for real once we get home. I mean, sure we’ll have to go out every now and then to find more Burnish and take ‘em in. And maybe we’ll always be putting our lives on the line. But just… we have a  _ home  _ now. Someplace to go back to every night. And for realsies, this time.”

“... Yeah, we do.”

“I’m thinking maybe I could set up like, a little football league for the kids. Gotta keep them entertained, y’know?”

“You’ve got the right idea. We ought to find someone who can school them too,” Meis suggested. “Have a little Burnish school system set up…”

“What? Boo, what do they need school for? To get jobs? We gonna make a Burnish college too and scam them into taking Burnish student loans?”

“Oh hell, you’re right.” Meis rubbed his chin in mock contemplation. “I don’t think anyone wants the settlement to run on capitalism--”

“ _ Burnish  _ capitalism.”

Meis snorted. “But I mean, I’d rather teach the kids about like, growing our crops or how to control the flames and shit like that. Y’know, actually practical stuff.”

Gueira laughed. “Always thinkin’ ahead… What about you, though? You gotta have some plans for yourself, right?”

“Maybe…” Meis thought some more, humming in thought as they continued walking. “If I could find a guitar or something, maybe even learn to make one out of flames, I’ll start playing music again.”

“Hell yeah. That ought everyone’s spirits up. I bet Lio could teach you easily.”

“But besides that…? Hell if I know what else I’m gonna do.”

“Really? Nothing else?”

“I mean, of course I plan on helping you and Boss run things. Someone’s gotta take the bulk of patrols, tend to everyone’s needs…”

“You gotta remember to live your life too, though. You and Boss both,” Gueira said pointedly. “I mean, come on! We’re young and we got our whole lives ahead of us! Maybe it’s time we start thinking about our future!”

“Wasn’t that what we were already doing—“

“No, I mean, haven’t you thought about getting married?!”

Meis blinked, taken aback. “M-Married?”

“Dude, yeah. We could get on with our lives now. Maybe get married… maybe even have some kids.”

“Y… You want to?”

“I mean, maybe.”

“You  _ would  _ make a good dad…” Meis mused, to which Gueira scoffed in embarrassment. 

“Pssh, you’re just saying that. Of course, it all depends on if any of the newbies are interested…” He raised his eyebrow with a cocky grin, causing Meis to slump his shoulders in annoyance. “You think you’re gonna get in the dating game once things settle down? Come on, there’s gotta be someone you’re interested in.”

“That…” Meis shook his head, shoving his hands into his pockets before pushing past Gueira to continue their trek. “That’s nothing to worry about right now.”

“Aha, that totally means yes,” Gueira teased. “Someone in our old group, right?”

“I’m not saying anything about that to you. Focus on the task at hand.”

“Come ooooon,” Gueira whined. “We never get a chance to mess around with this kinda thing! Five years and you still wouldn’t trust me with who you like… tsk tsk, what kinda friendship…”

“...” Meis said nothing at first, leading the way in silence and refusing to look at Gueira. “Why do you wanna know so badly anyway?” he asked. “And so suddenly?”

He could hear Gueira make an “I don’t know” noise from behind. “I dunno, just… even after all these years, there’s still things I don’t know about you.”

“And of all those things, you wanna know about my love life?”

“I mean, why not…?”

“... Okay.”

“Okay what?”

“Ask me a question. But it can’t be about anything obvious.” He waited a moment as Gueira rubbed his chin in thought with a hum. “No asking about who I like either.”

“Wh— come on, boo.” Gueira’s turn for his shoulders to slump. “Okay, how about this instead: what do you look for in someone? Like, what about a person makes you think ‘oh yeah, I’d give you a shot?’”

“What do I look for…?” He kicked a rock as they continued walking. “Let’s see… someone who isn’t a downer all the time like me.”

“Oh yeah, don’t want you being all emo forever.”

“Heh, yeah…” He scratched his cheek. “... Someone who can make me smile. Keep me happy, y’know? That’s the kinda person I’d fall for.”

Gueira scoffed. “Well, yeah, I hope so. That’s kinda obvious to want in a relationship though. Isn’t that the point of dating?”

“What’s that?”

“Like, shouldn’t you be dating someone who makes you happy in the first place?”

“... Yeah, you got a point.” He shrugged. “I guess past experience kinda messed me up a little.”

“Hm…” Gueira’s brow furrowed. “Come on, what else do you look for in someone? That’s too broad.”

“... I guess… someone who’d give me a chance. And listen to me and my interests. Someone easy for me to talk to. And makes me feel like an honest equal.”

“Isn’t that obvious to look for too? ‘Honest equal…’ Isn’t that what every relationship should be?”

“Ugh, look, I guess I’m bad at this, all right? It’s been years since any of that really mattered to me, anyway.”

“... I guess I see what you mean.” Gueira similarly kicked a pinecone in his path. “Hard to think about relationships when you gotta worry about living to see another day.”

“Exactly.” He looked up. It had gotten even darker where they were. He was almost tempted to use a flame to light their path. “Even now, I don’t think we could afford to be worry-free. Even when we make it back home… there’s always a chance of something happening.”

“All the more reason to live without regrets, right?” Gueira looked back at Meis, his grin still visible through the darkness. “Live each day like it’s your last, y’know?”

He couldn’t help but smile back, even if it couldn’t be seen in the dark. “I guess you’re right.”

_ Regrets…  _ There was always that idea lingering in the back of Meis’ mind, that one of these days something would happen to one or even both of them. They’d survived for years, sure, but it wasn’t hard to say they’d gotten lucky for years.  _ Just what exactly were the odds now of something happening to them?  _

“Hm, but I guess I could work with that!” Gueira was saying. “So someone who’d listen to you and make you smile… I’m thinking someone who’d be into music like you. And maybe jokes. Yeah, I can definitely work with that! If you’re not gonna spill about anything, I’ll just have to find you someone... Meis?” Gueira looked behind him to find Meis was still a distance behind him, lost in thought and hands shoved in his pockets.

“...”  _ Live without regrets… _

Suddenly Gueira was there right next to him, waving a hand in front of his face. He whistled. “Hello? Earth to Meis.”

He blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. “Sorry. I was thinking.”

“You can think and walk at the same time, right?” he asked jokingly. He turned to leave. “Come on, let’s keep moving.”

Meis nodded and continued moving further, still deep in thought. Another long silence followed, save for the crunch of leaves and kicked up dirt on the ground. Finally, he spoke up again. “So, what about you?”

“What  _ about  _ me?”

“Do you… have your eye on anybody?”

“Hey now,” Gueira grinned with a scoff. “I asked first, so it’s not fair if you get to pass on the question and I don’t.”

Meis sighed. “Okay, okay, fine.”

“So…  _ do  _ you like anyone?” Gueira asked again.

“... I guess so. Yeah.”

“You gonna tell me who?” 

Meis averted his eyes as Gueira’s face suddenly popped into view, his lip curled in an almost unnatural cat-like smile. 

“... I…” He swallowed audibly, and for the first time in years he felt Gueira’s eyes bearing right into him. It was a familiar sensation, like one of the many times he’d watch Meis intently as he played guitar for him. His heartbeat was audible in his head. “Well… um… this is kinda hard to admit, to be honest. But…” He hadn’t planned for this  _ at all. _ And yet there he was, about to say... 

"I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

“No," Meis hurriedly said. "It's... long overdue. The truth is… I—“

_ Snap.  _

The two turned their heads in an instant. Gueira instinctively put an arm between Meis and the direction from where they heard the sound of a branch snapping. “Who’s there?!”

“Ah—!” Someone startled from the bushes some ways behind them. A pair of arms waved in the air in surrender. “Wait, wait, it’s just us! Don’t shoot!” 

Out from the bushes stumbled Leonix and a couple other Mad Burnish members that had been part of their group before, all slightly disheveled from the obvious trek. 

“You guys?!” Gueira lowered his hand, remnants of a nearly-formed flame trailing from his fingers as he snapped at them almost in anger. “What’re you guys doing here?!”

“Your uh— I guess,  _ our  _ new Boss,” Leonix rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, “wanted us to follow. He was getting worried about you. Thought you might need help driving the trucks back too.” 

“Worried? Pfft, he thought we couldn’t handle ourselves or something?” Gueira sighed, whatever anger he had already dissipating. “I guess I appreciate the gesture… still, y’all could’ve called out to us at like,  _ any  _ point without scaring us like that.”

“Sorry, Bosses… er… Should I still call you Bosses?”

“Just call us by our names,” Gueira said, turning around to continue walking. “I’ve been telling you to for years. Getting called ‘Boss’ like that gets weird after a while.”

“Yeah… I bet it does,” Meis said flatly before turning to Leonix. His accompanying grunts started to follow Gueira, leaving the two of them straggling. 

Leonix gave a sheepish smile. “Sorry also for uh, ruining the moment—“

“Shut up,” Meis said, albeit jokingly. “Actually, rather, thank you.”

The older Burnish’s smile turned from sheepish to wry within a few seconds. “Oh, so were you actually gonna…”

Meis suddenly perked up as a pair of headlights came into his peripheral vision. He turned to find a truck passing by them on the road, not too far from them now. “Gueira, truck!” He ran ahead of Leonix and started to hurriedly follow after the truck.

“Hey, wait up!” Gueira broke into a sprint after him. “Oh— yeah, so what were you gonna say back there?”

“Now’s not the time for that! This is way more important!”

\---

It was just their luck that there happened to be a gas station not too far from where they’d been walking. The whole day felt like one broad stroke of luck, really. The duo watched intently from the shrubbery outlining the property as a burly trucker stepped out of his truck. Their entourage of three other Burnish stayed behind them, awaiting orders. The truck itself had a rather faded logo of what looked to be an orange farm on its sides, as well as on the back doors. 

“You think that’s good?” Gueira asked. He pointed. “I see like, two other trucks over there that we could take.”

“Hm… there’s a fair amount of us…” Meis pondered aloud. “I think we could get away with three trucks. We should also consider any potential supplies inside the actual storage…”

“Oh yeah, yeah! You think that one’s got oranges in the back?”

“I… don’t know, actually? Do trucks always carry what they’re advertising?”

“I dunno, but I actually have been craving oranges lately.” He started to climb out from behind the bushes. “What’s the plan, Meis?”

“Hm…” He has been considering their options the moment he laid eyes on the truck. Now they had three trucks to work with. Since there was only this gas station in the area, it was likely all three of the drivers (and hopefully whatever companions they had) were inside the building… Meis turned to the other three Burnish. “You three. Think you can handle a diversion while we hotwire the trucks?”

“A diversion? That’s just my style,” Leonix grinned. “Leave it to us.”

“And just a heads up. We’re working under a new system. Part of that system is ‘absolutely no killing without reason.’ So hold back as much as you can manage. Understood?” The three, although evidently a bit surprised by the instruction, nodded before heading towards the gas station’s convenience store. Meis turned to Gueira. “Gueira, you think you can work your magic on those bad boys?”

The redhead cracked his knuckles. “It’s been a while, but it’s not like I have a choice. C’mon, we gotta move quick.”

The first time they’d hotwired a truck was years ago, and even then it wasn’t anything big. It was merely a pickup truck they had found abandoned someplace in the desert. It was still in good condition and definitely ideal for hauling supplies back to their temporary base at the time.

Gueira had surprised Meis that day with the rather casual revelation that he, in fact, was decently-versed in the art of hotwiring. 

Despite having far and few chances between the years to practice, by some miracle it had only taken Gueira a few tries to successfully pick and strip the wires. Meis held back an amused smile upon hearing his giddy laugh as he sparked them together. 

“Just one more spark for the starter wire and…” The truck’s dashboard lit up, and with one rev of the engine, the truck roared to life. “There we go! We’re in business, baby!”

“Nice work!” Meis said. “If you could do that again for the other trucks…”

“You think we got the time?” Gueira asked, looking out the truck’s (broken-in) window. They hadn’t expected the hold-up to be so quiet, but they could both make out Burnish flames flashing from inside the building every now and then. “... You think they’re okay?”

“I trust they are. Otherwise, they’d be giving off a signal—“

Just as he finished his sentence, two figures emerged from the store’s entrance. Leonix was waving his hand high in the air along with one of the other Burnish. It took a few seconds for Meis to realize what they meant. 

“They got the keys!” Meis said. 

“Oh, hella, that makes my job easier!”

Leonix and the other Burnish ran up to them with looks crossed between giddy and panicked. “Sorry for the wait! Hyacinth’s keeping the truckers down, but we got all the keys! Here— figure out which one is yours—“

“I already got this one hotwired!”

“Wh— Already?!”

Gueira shrugged. “Guess my old man was good for teaching me  _ something  _ in the end.”

“Uh— all right, we’ll figure out which keys are which then! Gabe, come on!” Leonix gestured for the younger Burnish with him to follow. “We’ll meet you back at the cave! We gotta wait for Hya, but we’ll be okay! Just go!”

“We’re counting on you, then!” Meis said, calling after them as they both hopped into one truck, presumably to test the keys. “Let’s at least give them a minute.”

“Yeah, yeah, lemme figure out how to work this thing…” Throughout the conversation, Gueira had been messing with the truck’s controls. He shifted his seat forward, turning on the radio as he did so. “This already beats the copter by a long shot!”

Meis chuckled as he rummaged through the truck’s glove compartment. With a hum of interest, he pulled out a bag of beef jerky. “You sure you’re up to drive?”

“I got this! Just kick your feet up and get ready to navigate me, will ya?”

“Right, right, it should be a straight shot from here to the cave.” He looked at the truck’s many rear-view mirrors. Hyacinth was running out the store now, a great distance ahead of a trio of burly men who were no doubt the trucks’ (now former) owners. The other trucks had successfully turned on by that point. “Looks like we’re good to go.” 

“Alright!” Gueira pulled the gear shift and backed up. “Let’s blow this pop stand!”

“Watch your back.”

Gueira braked hard before they completely backed into a fence. “Shit, okay, right, this thing’s got a long back. I’ll get the hang of it.”

“Please do.” Meis bit into a piece of jerky before holding another piece out for Gueira. “I’ve had enough heart attacks for one night.”

Gueira bit into the piece without taking his eyes off the road. “Shut up and guide me.” 

\---

The road back to the cave was long and winding in some parts, but otherwise quiet and uneventful. At this hour, there was hardly anyone else around. As far as the duo could tell, only the two trucks with their three friends were trailing behind. 

“Ugh,” Gueira groaned as the radio broke off into static again. He glanced at it and nearly reached out only for Meis to take a hold of the radio’s tuning knob. 

“Focus on driving,” he said sternly. “I got it.”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks.”

There didn’t seem to be any really good reception where they were, though, and soon he gave up trying to find any station. “Tch. Nothing good is on.”

“Eh, that’s all right. I don’t think it should be much farther. Unless you wanna sing for me?”

Meis scoffed. “You wish.”

“Really? Promise I won’t laugh.”

“Maybe some other time.”

“Boo.” A long silence followed. 

“... Nice job hotwiring this thing, by the way,” Meis finally said. 

Gueira’s turn to scoff. “Pfft, this? It’s no biggie, honestly. Any bozo with a screwdriver or big fucking monster Burnish… hands… can do it.”

“No? I don’t think so. I dunno how you can work those wires under pressure without getting all scared of electrocuting yourself.”

“I kinda got my fair share of practice when I was a kid,” Gueira shrugged. 

“Right, right… ‘cause your dad was a trucker before.”

A sigh. “Yeah… Old fucker would always get tired of lookin’ for his keys.”

“I remember you telling me before.”

Gueira hummed. “You know, it’s almost my anniversary.”

“Of?”

“Becoming Burnish. I saw the date on the news broadcast a while ago.”

“Oh wow. Happy anniversary. Is…” He hesitated, but went on with his question. “Is that why you were…”

“... Thinking about my old man?” He huffed a sigh. “... Yeah. Kinda.” Despite the heavy subject, his face remained neutral and clear of obvious emotion. “I mean, I don’t really think there’s been a day where I haven’t thought about it. But I’m fine. Just can’t help thinking about it whenever it comes that time of year, y’know?”

“... Right. Of course.”

“So instead I try to think like… it’s the anniversary of when you and I left Miami. Makes it a happier memory, y’know?”

Meis studied his face carefully before nodding. His face didn’t change between talking about his father and talking about their history. “I guess…”

“You know? You and I… We came a long way. I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately.”

“Any particular reason?”

“Well. I mean, you nearly  _ died _ the other day from that coup. And like I said, it’s almost the anniversary of when we left Miami. Do I really need a grand reason?”

“I guess not,” Meis shrugged as nonchalantly as he could. 

“... What I’m leading up to is… I’m really glad you stuck by me this long,” Gueira finally said. A slight, fond smile spread on his lip. “I know it’s sappy and it’s outta nowhere. But I just am, all right?”

“It’s not that sappy,” Meis muttered, leaning his head against the window. “But I appreciate the sentiment.”

Gueira’s eyes were almost downcast again when Meis looked at him. “I figure since we’re gonna end up busy after this, and we got this time now, I just thought I’d say… You’re way closer to me as family than my dad was the last few years he was alive. And I want you to know that I’m thankful. For you.”

Meis’ fingers gripped into the seat. 

“Again— I know it’s sappy, but—“

“I’m thankful for you too.”

There was a scary pause for a moment before Gueira spoke up again. “I’m glad. I’m glad…” He perked up as the road ahead became more and more familiar. “Hey, it’s around here, right?”

Meis looked around. “Looks like it. No one else is around but us. Pull over.”

\---

The back door of the truck opened with a heavy creak. Emptying the storage space of most of its boxes was a daunting task on its own. But seeing as how it wasn’t their property to begin with, there was hardly any guilt in tossing its contents on the side of the road. 

“Bo— Gueira, Meis,” Leonix called out as he and the others hopped off their own trucks. “We’ll take over clearing space. You ought to go tell Boss Lio we’re just about ready. See if some other Burnish can help us too, especially with loading the sick on board.”

Meis nodded. “Thanks, you guys. Come on, Gueira.”

“Right.”

The moment they approached the cave, however, there was already the feeling that something was going on. Meis extended an arm in front of Gueira, cautioning him to stop. Further into the cave, a wall of Burnish flame had erected, but there wasn’t any sign of fighting or danger. Rather, all they heard was Lio speaking in a firm, authoritative voice. 

“They are alive,” he was telling someone. “Granting their wishes is the Burnish’s destiny. But  _ we  _ don’t kill people.”

The duo exchanged a glance as they cautiously approached, ready to leap to Lio’s side if some kind of fight broke out. Though they still were uncertain who he was talking to. 

Lio continued talking as they approached, and they could see the rest of the Burnish had gathered behind him, facing someone tied up. Meis didn’t miss Gueira’s eyes widen slightly upon finding the blue-haired Burning Rescue rookie from their last attack sitting there with hands bound behind him. He didn’t look injured, nor did Lio. If anything, he was just sitting there, slumped forward with a look of surprisingly deep contemplation.

“When we Mad Burnish attack a town, we always provide an escape route. We pride ourselves for that.” Yet there was a bitter tone in his voice, and the duo can sense that.  _ At least we have that decency.  _

Meis stepped forward, finding it an appropriate time to intervene. “Boss,” he said. “The truck is ready. There’s room for everyone.”

Lio turned to him, unflinching. “Alright. Let’s go. It’s dangerous to stay here for too long.”

The duo turned, and already the rest of the Burnish were turning away to leave as well. Meis’ brow furrowed as he surveyed the crowd.  _ Where’s… _

The rookie suddenly spoke up. “Running away again?” he asked loudly.

Lio turned back. “Yeah. As long as the Foundation’s after us.”

Gueira caught the slowly panicking face on Meis’ face as he looked around the cave. 

“Can’t you stop starting fires?” the rookie continued. “You could live like normal people if you did. You wouldn’t have to run!”

Gueira was about to speak up when he suddenly caught the wide-eyed stare on Meis’ face. He followed his gaze to the pile of ashes on the floor. 

_ Thyma... _

“... Do you really believe that?” Lio retorted. 

The rookie didn’t answer right away. “... Yeah.”

A scoff. “You’re an idiot.”

“What?”

“Why do you think she died?” Gueira and Meis both turned to Lio with wide eyes. He didn’t return their gaze. “Because of Foresight Foundation’s experiments…” Lio continued. An inquisitive sound. “You really didn’t know? What a simpleton.”

From the corner of his eye, Gueira could see Meis’ hands curl into fists. Slowly, he tore his gaze away from the ashes drifting away into the wind. 

“Not just her. Everyone was almost killed by Kray Foresight.” His tone was growing angrier. “He cuts us up and dissects us for his research.”

With eyes downcast, Meis turned to leave, followed closely by Gueira. 

“But, we’re humans too…”

\---

_ Dammit. Damn it all.  _

Meis’ hand found itself holding onto the cavern wall’s entrance. He felt an awful dread in the pit of his stomach. A heated mix of anger and sorrow threatened to bubble up. His fingers scraped along the rocky wall as he gripped it tighter. 

“Meis—“

“We couldn’t save her,” he said simply, voice steady but threatening to tip over in anger at any moment. 

Lio passed by, barely regarding them save for his instructions. “Let’s go.”

Gueira looked back into the cave, his hand already forming embers in his palm. “What did that guy say to you—“

“Let’s go, Gueira,” Lio said again, more sharply. 

“...” Silently, he instead nudged Meis to start walking back to the trucks. The other Burnish were already piling into each of the trucks, still manned by the Mad Burnish who drove them there. Gueira and Meis similarly hopped into the front seat, with Lio sitting at the window so Meis sat in the middle. 

Gueira glanced over at them both. Lio already had his head propped on one hand, leaning against the door. Meis similarly was looking down, his expression even harder to read even after all these years of knowing him. Yet there was an unmistakable look of both rage and grief in his eye. 

It felt like there could be something said. But there wasn’t anything yet for him to say. So instead, he shifted the truck’s gears, and started the drive back to the settlement. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If all goes well, I'll have the next chapter within... at least the next couple months. It would really help and motivate me if you could leave a comment too, please? ;v; I'd always like to know if I'm doing something right. I appreciate you making it this far, thank you very much!


	11. Promare: Through Red and Blue Eyes pt. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK! Sorry it took so long to update! Because of the program I'm in for school, I still have a full semester of classes in the summer... But I just finished all the frontloaded lecture parts, so I got back to working on this! I was hoping to make it for Promare's anniversary... and ended up like a month late. I'm sorry about that. I always wanna aim to make these chapters have,,, some quality to make up for the wait. I regret to say, but this chapter once again ended up so long that I had to split it so that the sheer word length wouldn't be too much for one sitting. On the bright side though, I can guarantee part III for this arc will come sooner rather than later!
> 
> This part will feel a bit fluffier, but I promise it'll lead up to big future chapter developments.
> 
> Thank you for waiting for so long, whoever's been keeping up! And thank you to everyone who leaves comments. They really do spur me to keep going with this story.

It was about dawn by the time the mountainous forests faded away and blended into the desert they had quickly become accustomed to calling home. The ride was surprisingly quiet the whole time, though there wasn’t much wondering as to why. It was like the whole group was heading to a funeral with how quiet and somber the air was in the trucks for the whole ride. They might as well have been. 

“This is it,” Gueira said as he climbed out of the truck, proudly placing his hands on his hips and overlooking the vast desert expanse around their new home. “We actually made it…!” He stretched, having gotten a stiff neck and shoulders from driving for such a long stretch. 

Meis and Lio also climbed out of their truck as well, with Lio immediately going to the back to open the doors and let the other Burnish out. Meis meanwhile helped Gueira open the back of their truck. “All right, everybody,” he said. “Welcome to your new home.”

The group was still quiet, piling out quietly. Some gazed up in awe at the old highway that was now their home. Others still looked apprehensive, however. 

The old geezer was first to speak up. “This is where we’re supposed to live…?” 

“Did you expect a deluxe condo with a beach view?” Meis asked. 

Gueira elbowed him lightly in response. “Okay, so it’s not the most luxurious place… but look at it! It’s big and spacey. Lots of room for all of us. So think of it like a deluxe apartment complex with half the beach! And you know what the best part is?”

“Eh?”

“Take a moment to take in the area. We’re right next to a volcano! If Freeze Force wants to sniff us out, they’ll have a hell of a time trying to find us!” He ran ahead to the stairway leading up and gestured for the others to come over. “Come on, I promise you it’s homier than it looks!”

Some of the Burnish exchanged nervous glances at one another, before a few followed suit. Meis and Lio stayed behind, the latter still looking downcast as Gueira continued. 

“You’ll be safe here. We’re making sure of it.” He turned to face the two as they were the last ones left on the ground level. His smile faded slightly upon seeing their rather stoic expressions, but it came back as he gestured for Lio to climb the stairs before him, even offering a hand to him.

Lio didn’t take it, but he did nod half-heartedly and ascended the stairs. Meis similarly passed by without a word, leaving Gueira to climb up last.

When they reached the top, there was music playing from what sounded like a low-quality radio. The place had been significantly cleaned up, with some new strings of lights lining some of the walls. Some new room-like areas had been sectioned off through various means, from hung-up curtains to actual makeshift walls erected from what looked like old construction supplies. To the trio’s surprise, there was even what looked to be a new greenhouse area sitting off to the side with potted plants sitting in the sunlight pouring in from the ceiling. Some of the Burnish were looking around in awe, and others were still apprehensively standing about as the Mad Burnish who were looking after the place started distributing supplies such as blankets and bottles of water.

“Welcome back, Boss,” one of the members greeted Lio. “Gueira, Meis, you too.”

“Yo, Damian!” Gueira greeted him back with a friendly punch to the shoulder. “You guys really spruced up the place! Where the hell did you get all this stuff?”

“Heh. We raided a home improvement place while you were out.”

“It’s really well done,” Lio said. He gave a smile, the first Gueira and Meis had seen out of him since the cave. But there was an obvious feeling of artificialness attached to it. “You didn’t have to go to such lengths… Next time, it’d be preferable that you don’t take such a risky move.”

“R… Right,” Damian deflated slightly. “Sorry, Boss.”

“You still did a great job though,” Lio hurriedly said. “Thank you.I appreciate the initiative. If you and the others could help the new Burnish settle in, we would really appreciate it.”

“Yes, sir!” With a proud salute, the grunt wandered off.

“Boss,” Meis caught Lio’s attention. “You should go get some rest. We can take things from here.”

“You two are the ones who need to rest,” Lio said in turn. “Especially you, Gueira. You’ve been driving all night.”

“Pfft, I’m still raring to go! Seriously, Boss, you should re…” Lio had turned on his heel and left the conversation as he spoke. Gueira huffed. “Geez, stubborn kid. Right, Me--?” Meis similarly turned away from Gueira to help a Burnish mother find a place to stay with her child. “... Tch. You two…”

In truth, Lio had the right idea to give an order for him to rest. His eyes stung a bit from staying awake for so long, but there was little doubt in his mind that the other two had to have been tired as well. He couldn’t help but notice that even though Meis had taken a nap in the truck, there were still dark circles under his eyes, and his posture wasn’t as straight as it usually was. And Lio hadn’t slept at all either, as far as Gueira could tell, though if he was tired he was a little better at hiding the fact. 

It was understandable to him why they acted the way they did. Loss was a regular part of the Burnish life. Yet every death under their watch still held a heavy weight in their hearts, even if they tried to hide it. Neither of them seemed to want to talk about it, though. Probably because it wasn’t in their natures to discuss things like that right away. That much Gueira knew.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Paola running up to him with Uri in tow. “Oh hey, you two!” He immediately donned a warm smile. “You two need any help with anything?”

“Um… no,” Paola shook her head. “We just wanted to see you again!” Uri nodded with a tiny smile.

“Aww, that’s real nice. You two hungry then?” They both nodded. “Great! Me too. Come on, I’ll take you to the cafeteria. Then we can find out y’all are gonna bunk.”

\---

“... and here’s where you can stay. I… know it’s not a lot. But I hope you can find it a suitable new home.” Meis gestured for the Burnish family he was helping to enter their new room. It was humble, to say the very least. It had just a bed and an old crate that could probably work as a table, but at least there was privacy within the tarp walls.

“No, it’s perfect,” the mother said with a breath of relief. “Thank you so much. We’ve been on the run for so long, you have no idea…”

He nodded understandingly as her child ran into the little room, immediately rolling on the blanket laid out over a small mattress. “We might have an idea. But it must’ve been hard making it out there with just your child.”

The mother’s smile didn’t falter, but there was a sad look in her eyes. “It really has been… but we’ll be safe now. Thank you. We owe you our lives.”

“Think nothing of it,” Meis smiled back. “If you need anything, I’ll be around. I’ll just be helping the others settle. You can ask the other Mad Burnish if you need help too.”

“Yes, of course.”

With another nod, he left them alone in the small room and ventured back to the wide-open corridor. Some of the other Mad Burnish members had thankfully taken the liberty of helping the other newcomers similarly, introducing them to their own new living spaces. Meis walked down the corridor, taking in the new decor that had been put up since they had left for their mission. It had taken about a day to prepare the cave for supplies, and probably close to another to make it to Promepolis to carry out their plan. Then it had to have taken a couple days to escape prison and make it back home. So to think the other grunts had found the time to put all this together on their own volition… It warmed Meis’ heart to know they had good people around on their side.

“Ah… excuse me.” His attention was caught by the voice of the old man from earlier, the same who had shared their cell in the prison. Meis nearly jumped upon feeling his shirt get nearly tugged out of his pants as he turned to face him.

“Y-Yeah? You need something?” he asked, stepping back.

“Sorry to bother, I know you’re busy,” the old man croaked. “But could I bother you for some help?” He looked up at Meis with a pitiful look, his hands shaking in front of him.

“Yeah, I can help. Whatcha need?”

“I just need help moving this box to my room…” He gestured to a cardboard box that had been left in the middle of the corridor’s walkway. “You see, it’s much too heavy for me. My back’s aching, so I’d like a place to sit myself. These old bones don’t move like they used to.”

“Ah, of course.” Meis went and picked it up without much complaint. To his surprise, however, the crate was reasonably heavy, probably a couple pounds.  _ How did this even get to the middle of the corridor…?  _ “It’s kinda heavy. Did you try to carry it yourself? You know you can just ask any Mad Burnish member to help you with any lifting.”

The old man’s tone shifted from one of passive pitifulness to one that was noticeably sharper. “I know that, that’s why I’m asking you.” 

Meis huffed a hair out of his face. “Right… lead the way, old timer.”

“I have a name, you know.”

He felt his right eye twitch under his hair. “Sorry, I hadn’t asked before. So what is it?”

“Richard,” the old man said. “But my friends call my Dick.”

“I’m sure they do.” They eventually made it to the old man’s designated room, where he had apparently decided to bunk with another elderly Burnish man who was asleep on the provided old mattress. “Where should I put this, Dick?”

“I said my  _ friends  _ called me Dick,” the old man snapped again. He paused, then broke into a fit of wheezing laughter. “I kid, I kid,” he said with a sigh. “Don’t look at me like that. You youths need to learn to take a joke sometimes. You can set it down right here, erm…”

“Meis.”

“Miss?”

“Meis.”

“Mess?”

“ _ Meis. _ ”

He broke into laughter again. “Bah, I heard you the first time. Ah, and there you go again with that face. Yer not gonna fetch yerself a girlfriend if you can’t take a few jokes. You ought to cut your hair too, how can you see like that?”

Meis was, in that moment, quite thankful his hair was long enough to conceal his increasingly-twitchy eye.  _ God, it’s like Thanksgiving back at Miami all over again.  _ “Yeah, yeah…”

He watched as Richard sat down on the cardboard box with a relieved sigh. Then he looked at Meis again. “Thanks for the help. You can go now.” When Meis didn’t move right away, the old man made a shooing motion. “Go on, git.”

Silently, Meis turned on his heel and left the makeshift room, taking a few steps away from its entrance before stopping. He looked back before walking back to peer into the room, just in time to see Richard kneeling down to the box and opening it up to reveal a supply of canned preservatives.

“Hey-- where did you get those?!” Meis asked, voice raised enough to make the old man startle. “We gotta preserve those!”

“A-Ah-- I--” He hurriedly placed the soup can he was taking out back into the box. “H-Hold on, I can explain!”

Meis stepped back into the room and crossed his arms. “Go on, then.”

“You see… my roommate and I, we’re both old timers, as you can see… We ain’t got a lotta time left on this beautiful earth. Even now the fire inside me’s constantly saying ‘oh, Richard, yer time’s almost up! Don’tcha wanna make the most of it?’”

Meis calmed himself down.  _ A phenomenon like that certainly sounded familiar.  _ “... I guess I kinda know what you mean,” he admitted. 

“Eh?”

“It’s like a voice is telling you, ‘something bad will happen soon,’ yeah? Like a sense of dread…”

“Er… yes, exactly like that! Please, find it in your heart to let this slide…”

“Hm…”  _ Just what was with this guy… _ “I don’t know how much we have in terms of rations, but you ought to understand that we’re a growing community with limited supplies.” He suppressed the urge to frown at the old man’s increasingly pitiful expression.  _ As irritating as this geezer was, there was something guilt-inducing about refusing him something so crucial.  _ “... Fine, tell you what. You can keep a couple of these cans. But I’m taking some of these back. We got mothers with children to feed, you know.”

“A-Alright…” Richard relented, moving over to allow Meis to take more than half the contents. 

“Don’t you worry,” he said. “There’s enough in that box to keep it upright so you can sit on it still. And rest assured, we’re gonna do our best to keep everyone sustained.” He turned and left the man where he stood. As he did so, however, he just barely caught the look of resentment on his face.

_ Yeesh… Maybe his dislike for dealing from people stemmed specifically from dealing with people like that. _

“Hey,” he greeted Hyacinth and Gabriel, who were hanging around the designated cafeteria area. “You two in charge of rations?” One of them nodded and gladly took the cans out of Meis’ hands. “How’re they looking?”

“Not too bad,” Gabe reported, “considering the head count we got. We’re likely going to have to go on frequent raids for food though…”

“It’ll take a while until the crops grow,” Hya finished. “Obviously.”

“Gotcha… It’ll be tough, but we should be able to pull through for at least a few days, yeah?”

“Here’s hoping.” They looked down at the cans Meis handed over. “Where did you get these?”

“Old man snuck some of them for himself. Keep an eye on things and make sure no one takes more than necessary.”

“Yessir. By the way, there are some things we thought we should report on to you...”

“Let’s hear it then.” 

“Well,” Hya took out a notepad and started reading their notes, “for starters, we’ve had issues with water lately, so that’s definitely a priority once we get the all-clear to go on further raids…” 

Meis nodded patiently as he listened, only for the sound of laughter to catch his ear. He turned just in time to find a couple children running past him towards Gueira, who had apparently become an involuntary babysitter based on the number of children attempting to climb on him.

“Whoa, hey!” he laughed, his arm summoning the gauntlet part of his Burnish armor to serve as a better place for a couple of tinier kids to latch onto. “You’ll all get your turn! I missed y’all too, but come on, get down! Nadège asked first!” He looked like he was having fun, at least, and so were the children in spite of the tense situation all the adults were dealing with. At least Gueira could find it in him to keep them occupied, and while putting on a smiling face on top of that.

Meis half-smiled to himself. It was an understatement to say he knew Gueira well at this point. Even with a smile like that, there was likely something hiding underneath it. That optimism seemed boundless, but even though he’d never quite reached it, Meis knew there was a limit to it. 

All the more reason to keep from adding to that stress.

“... and then there’s the rat problem we’ve been having,” Hya continued. “Erm, Meis, sir?”

Meis snapped back to attention. “Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that last part.”

Gabe chuckled. “Lost in thought, are you?”

“It’s nothing. Please, continue.”

“Okay. So as I was saying about a rat problem, you really ought to see the size of these things…”

\---

“... and that’s about all I got to report on,” Hya finished after a very lengthy report, with Meis nodding in attentiveness for its entirety.

“I see… I’ll have to ask Boss about how he thinks we best ought to handle these,” he said. “For now, let’s ration as much water as we can. I don’t know if our ‘no killing’ policy extends to rats, so I’ll ask Boss, but you ask him about that too. As for the situation regarding all the broken glass--”

“Hey, Meis!” Gueira called. Meis looked over to find Gueira waving at him. He’d gotten the kids off him, apparently having distracted them with some crayons and other toys. “How’re you holding up?”

He gave him an odd look. “Alright. Why? Did something happen?”

“No, just checking up on y’all.” He looked at the other two, nodding in acknowledgement. “Gabe, Hya.”

“Everything’s just peachy, as the cool kids say,” Gabe reported. “We just finished reporting on some current incidents the others passed on to us.”

“Yeah? We’ll take care of it when we get rest then, and after the Boss hears about it.”

“I’ll go look for him now,” Meis said, already turning on his heel.

“Whoa, hey,” Gueira caught his shoulder. “Hold up, Meis. Uh, you two are dismissed. Got co-leader stuff to talk about.” Sensing the apparent need for privacy, the other two Burnish left. Once they were alone, Meis spoke.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Nah, there isn’t. I was just wondering if… y’know, you were okay.”

Meis averted his eyes, trying not to look at him in the eye. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I mean… besides the obvious? You look like you haven’t taken a break in a while.”

“We haven’t been here for that long,” Meis gently reminded him. “The new residents needed help settling in.”

“Yeah, but from the looks of it, everyone seems to be doing okay already. Things are already getting less hectic.” He crossed his arms petulantly. “If I had to guess, the Boss is probably pushing himself just as hard too…”

“I mean, he  _ is  _ the Boss… There wasn’t a lot of time for us to rest when we were in his position, remember?”

“Yeah, but now we have lots of help! And besides, you really just wanna push aside everything that happened earlier?”

“... I’m gonna go do another round around the base,” Meis simply said, already leaving.

Gueira simply sighed, tapping his foot against the metal flooring. “You’re always like this… and they call  _ me  _ the stubborn one…”

It wasn’t as if Meis always intended to leave Gueira in such a way. But for times like these, he needed time to think for himself. 

Meis passed by the newly-designated medical ward, where about a dozen Burnish were lying on old mattresses. He hung around by the doorway, peering into the walled-off “room” sectioned off by curtain partitions. Some of the Burnish they had rescued were tending to them in spite of their own obvious injuries. As Meis’ gaze wandered around inside, he caught sight of Lio sitting on his knees and looking over someone, a Burnish with rather severe injuries indicated by nearly their entire body being covered in bandages. Their breathing was ragged and shaky.

_ Just like… _

Meis felt a numbing pain in his chest as he watched Lio take a deep breath and lean down to press his lips to the Burnish’s. A teal light shone through the space between their lips after a few moments, and Lio took another breath to try again. Yet when he lifted himself off, the Burnish’s condition didn’t appear to change.

Meis caught the look of frustration on Lio’s face as he prepared to lean down again, only for Meis to catch him by the shoulder. “Boss, that’s enough.”

“If I could just try again…” Lio muttered, though he didn’t make any further attempt to lean down. “They’re suffering.”

“It’s not gonna do any more good than the first time,” Meis simply said. Lio’s face hovered inches above the sickly Burnish. “Let’s just… leave them to rest.”

“... Okay,” Lio relented, clearly aware there was little more to do at that point. He let Meis guide him out of the ward by the shoulders, though his gaze didn’t lift from the sick Burnish until they crossed the doorway.

“You okay?”

“... Somewhat.”

“...” Meis kept one hand on Lio’s shoulder. Even from just that contact alone, he could tell how tense the younger Burnish was. “The others are taking care of things just fine,” Meis continued. “Why don’t we take a break? Get something to eat and drink.”

The look on Lio’s face told him he wanted to refuse. But surprisingly, he nodded weakly. “... All right.”

\---

At the top of the settlement, a gentle desert breeze had begun to sweep through the area. Not enough to make an impromptu lunch break uncomfortable, but rather just enough to be pleasant. Meis looked over at Lio from where he sat, to find Lio closing his eyes and letting the warm gust of wind blow his hair back. With eyes still closed, he took a sip from the can of soup he had prepared in his hand.

“... Penny for your thoughts?” Meis asked, breaking the peaceful silence.

“What’s that?” He opened his eyes, face neutral and hard to read.

“Er, what I mean is, you seem deep in thought.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” He gave a long sigh. “... I couldn’t save that girl in the cave.”

When he didn’t continue, Meis nodded. “You’re allowed to talk about it. I’m listening.”

“I thought for a moment that I could do it,” he went on. “For a moment, it actually looked like it was going to work for once. I tried so many times in the past. My old friends were able to do it before too with their own friends. But I never could do it. I could never figure out why. I was just never able to save anybody. Even when I thought I could...” He looked at Meis with a hurt look in his eyes. “How do you do it? You never gave me a real answer last time I asked.”

Meis had to think for a moment.  _ That was because there wasn’t any real answer to think of.  _ “To be honest, I don’t know the mechanics of how it works,” he admitted. “It just always has worked whenever Gueira or I had to heal each other.”

“But… just you? And him?”

Meis took another moment to think. His brow furrowed. It was a serious question, and a good one at that. Come to think of it, out of all the years he and Gueira had been traveling with other Burnish, Gueira was the first one he would ever think to heal in a crisis. And Gueira always tried to heal him too, even when there were others who got hurt. It was… odd to think about (and of course a little embarrassing), but that was the truth. Sure, they had shared flames with others, out of necessity. But when they  _ did  _ do it to each other, it always felt more… natural. And it was always with each other that they’d get the best results. It had never been something he thought about in depth, though.

_ Lio doesn’t need to know all that. Now wasn’t the time to discuss that anyway. _

“Yeah… I mean, we’ve had to heal others before. I don’t know what we do that’s different from you, though. It’s just an instinct...”

“Is it not instinct to want to help others too…?” Lio scoffed. “Just what is wrong with me…?”

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you,” Meis said. “We just don’t know how it all works. It’s hard to fix things when you don’t know what the problem is.”

“...” Lio brought his knees to his chest. “Some old friends of mine had lots of theories for how it worked. That it only works if your flames are ‘bound’ to each other. If you had a true bond with them. If you really wanted them to survive. Maybe that’s it… Maybe it’s because I never was that close to my people. Or maybe I’m just fated to never save anyone.”

“You saved all of us though.”

Lio looked up.

“Well, you did. Even if it wasn’t through CPR.” Meis looked up at the sky. “Saving the rest of Mad Burnish from Freeze Force, saving all the Burnish from the prison… Even saving Gueira and me from Charle’s coup. I’m certain Thyma was thankful for you ‘till her very last breath.”

“... You think so?”

Meis turned his neck to the side, his gaze falling upon the volcano that was now, in a way, part of their first line of defense. “Of course I wouldn’t know for sure. I hardly knew her too, so I wouldn’t know what she thought. I wanted so badly to help her too… but she seemed like the kind of person who wouldn’t hold a grudge against you just because you did all you could.”

“... She smiled at me right before she died,” Lio said, barely above a whisper. “She knew she didn’t have any more time. She faded away so quickly. Maybe… she wanted to pass peacefully then and there…”

“God.” Meis closed his eyes. “I wish I could have been there. Just to say sorry to her one last time…”

“She smiled at you in the prison too.” Meis looked up at Lio. “If she didn’t hold a grudge against me, I’m sure she didn’t hold it against you either.”

“... I hope not…” He looked out again at the vast expanse of desert as another warm breeze swept through the area. “We should honor her somehow. Honor everyone lost to Foresight.”

“I like that idea.”

“Yeah. If we can find some flowers maybe… we could hold a memorial of sorts. When we’re certain it’s safe to.”

“I like that a lot…” Lio said wistfully. “When everyone is really settled in, let’s do that.”

The sound of footsteps climbing the stairs leading to the top of the settlement alerted both of them into sitting upright and facing the direction of the approaching steps. They immediately relaxed at the sight of Gueira climbing the stairs with two of the children trailing behind him, led by his hands.

“Hey, knew you two would be up here,” Gueira smiled. He let the kids go as soon as they got to the top. They each clutched a piece of paper to their chests, almost secretively.

“Hello,” Lio greeted, the smile on his face much more genuine than before. “Is Uncle Gueira taking you two on a tour?”

Gueira snorted. “Uncle? You’re funny, Boss. Nah, these two are Paola and Uri. They got a little something-something for both of you.”

“Oh? Can we see?” Meis chuckled.

The boy-- Uri-- silently walked up to Meis and flipped the paper in his hands around, just as the girl did the same for Lio. On the boy’s paper was a crude crayon drawing of what looked like a stick figure of Meis with a smile on his face and a (rather inaccurate) gun in his hand, along with some stick figure drawings labeled either “Freeze Force” (for the ones “frozen” in blocks of ice) and “us” for the figures in orange clothes hiding behind him. 

Meis broke out into a grin. “Oh wow, you made me look really good!” he told the boy, who simply smiled in response. “You’re a little artist, aren’t you? Heh, I like the tattoo you gave me.” He pointed to the drawing’s version of his tattoo, which was replaced with another smiley face. The boy craned his neck over to look at Meis’ arm, which he gladly turned to show him. “Ah, you wanna see? It is pretty cool, huh? It matches Gueira’s.”

Lio, meanwhile, was smiling widely at the picture Paola had given him, which looked to be of him flying next to the helicopter they’d hijacked. “This is so good! I like the helicopter you drew. Thank you so much, Paola.”

“It was Gueira’s idea!” Paola chirped, to which Gueira tried to shush her.

“Ah-ah-ah, you didn’t need to tell them that part!” he said hurriedly. She merely gave a knowing grin in response. “They just really wanted to show their appreciation, is all! Paola, you got something you and your bro wanna say?”

“Thank you for saving us…!” Paola said with a bow. Uri didn’t say anything, but bowed similarly.

“It’s our duty,” Meis said.

“So no need to thank us,” Lio continued.

“Heh, alright you two, you go back down and do whatcha need to do,” Gueira said. “I’ll stay up here, ‘kay?”

Without so much as another word, the two took off down the stairs, with Paola giggling. Gueira sat down next to Meis with a sigh. “They’re good kids, am I right? They really wanted to--”

“Gueira.”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.” Lio was still looking down at his drawing, the smile not fading from his face just yet. “You actually told them to do this for us?”

“W-Well…” He scratched the back of his head. “Turns out the others found some toys for the kids while we were gone, so they wanted to draw and…”

“You told them to make gifts for us,” Meis finished.

“Mmmmore or less. If anything I just gave them the idea to make something for you guys...” He sighed. “You two just seemed so down earlier. I didn’t really know what to do about it… I mean, I know you were goin’ through something, and that’s understandable, so…”

“This helped,” Lio simply said. “So thank you.”

“G… Glad to hear it!” Gueira leaned back and laughed. The sun was high in the sky now, yet he still let out a big, almost exaggerated yawn. “Have you two even slept yet? You should really take a nap or something.”

“I suppose since everyone is handling themselves all right…” Lio yawned in response. “But tell any Mad Burnish you see to report to me if anything goes on.”

Gueira leapt to his feet. “Yeah yeah yeah, come on! Let’s just go to our rooms already!”

“What’s got you so impatient all of a sudden?”

“Nothing at all! Come on!” He was already descending down the stairs, gesturing for them to follow. With an exchanged glance, Lio and Meis followed.

“How is he always so chipper?” Lio jokingly asked as they followed just behind Gueira.

“You’d be surprised,” Meis chuckled fondly. “Nothing ever really gets him down for long. That’s one of the things that’s so great about him.”

He didn’t miss the half-smirk on Lio’s face even as he continued staring straight ahead. “I’m sure it is.”

“I mean it,” Meis scoffed. “With a life like this, you need all the optimism you can get…” He watched as Gueira continued leading the way with a notable skip in this step. “I just hope he doesn’t wear himself out either…”

Before long, they made it to the part of the corridor where they had claimed their “rooms” when they first arrived at the settlement. Just like the rest of the place, the area had been noticeably tidied up. Gueira turned to the other two with a much more obvious grin than before. 

“Boss! Here, lemme get the door for you,” he offered, gesturing towards Lio’s private room.

“That’s a tarp,” Lio said.

“Eh?”

“There’s no door there—“ He gasped softly upon Gueira lifting the tarp to reveal his room. It wasn’t anything fancy by any means, but someone had dragged in a mattress and even a tidied blanket folded on it. Some other knick-knacks laid about the room, a bit questionable in nature but neatly placed around. For instance, a miniature lava lamp that was losing its glow, along with a stack of magazines next to the bed. Lio went over and sat down on the mattress before picking up a magazine with wide eyes. 

“Motorcycle magazines…?” 

“Figured you might’ve liked them,” Gueira chuckled. “The others found a stack during their raid and bought ‘em back, so…”

For a brief moment, Lio looked up at him inquisitively. “During a supply raid…?”

Meis squinted with a curt smile on his face as he pondered.  _ No, if he had to guess, Gueira probably specifically asked the others to find something like this for Lio if they happened to go out for a raid. _

Gueira scratched the back of his head with a sheepish laugh. “Anyway, it ain’t much, but we were hoping it’d be more homey to you.”

Lio stayed silent for a moment, flipping through the magazine before closing it and flopping back down on his mattress. He smiled, content. “It’s perfect… I haven’t had a home like this in years…”

“Glad to hear it, Boss.”

“Gueira… thank you. You and the others.”

Meis looked over to find Gueira smiling fondly at the sight of their Boss smiling earnestly. “Not a prob, Lio… Meis and I are gonna rest up. You rest up too, alright?”

With that, he closed the tarp and started walking towards his and Meis’ “room.”

“Look at you,” Meis mused. “Always a softie…”

“Pssh, shut up.” They stopped in front of their tarp. “After you.”

“...” Without a word, Meis entered. Though he had an obvious anticipation that Gueira had pulled a similar stunt for their own room, his expectations were still evidently too low. “This is…”

Like Lio’s, there wasn’t anything particularly fancy about the living space he and Gueira were now sharing. But after a few moments of taking in the layout of the room’s few bits of furnishing… The way the mattress was set up in relation to the door, the placement of the little desk mirror Gueira must’ve found and placed on a cardboard box for him, the miscellaneous placement of papers that weren’t even posters but rather maps of the area…

“It’s kinda like my old room…” Meis muttered in realization. “Or am I just feeling nostalgic for no reason?”

“That  _ is  _ the feeling I was goin’ for,” Gueira admitted with a chuckle. 

Meis climbed onto their mattress, splayed out with limbs stretching to the four corners. He sighed a deep breath and relaxed, closing his eyes and trying to picture his old room. He wondered what his parents did with it when he left. Probably tossed all his stuff in anger. 

Throughout the first few weeks of his and Gueira’s escape from Miami, he’d grown terribly homesick, though he wouldn’t have been caught dead admitting it aloud. All the things he used to enjoy, the one place in the world besides at Gueira’s side where he could feel like himself…  _ be  _ himself… He had left that behind in a rash moment of decision. Yet even he was surprised at how much he didn’t totally regret his choice. Even if it meant having to leave behind everything he loved.

He opened his eyes in time to find Gueira right beside the mattress, eyes closed and arms in a T-pose as he fell forward and landed over Meis on the mattress. 

Meis gave a startled grunt as the wind got knocked out of him. “Gueira—!”

Almost everything. 

“You’re hogging the bed space, y’know!” he laughed. “We only got the one mattress.” He looked at him with a smug smile. 

“At least warn me next time!” he snapped before scooting over so Gueira could lie down properly next to him. They both stared up at the ceiling, finally fully relaxing after the long trip. So this is what it felt like to have a home again. “... This is nice. Really nice.”

“Glad you think so.” Without sitting up, Gueira’s arm reached up and found a small, hanging black box connected to some Christmas lights pinned up on the wall. With a flick of the box’s switch, the lights lit up, though it wasn’t exactly easy to see from where they lay. “Boom. Extra aesthetic.”

Meis chuckled. “Oh, that really does add to the room.” He turned his head to look at Gueira, who still faced the ceiling with closed eyes. 

“I’m glad… I know it ain’t much, but I hope it makes this place comfier for you.”

“I mean, I was never really that uncomfortable here.”

“Yeah, the mattress does help, huh?”

“Oh absolutely.” He sighed. “You want my arm?”

Without opening his eyes, Gueira simply changed positions, turning on his side so he faced Meis while laying his head on his own arm. “Nah, I’m good. Next time we are  _ so  _ raiding for pillows though.”

That earned a snort out of Meis. “You got the grunts to haul all this stuff home but you left out pillows?”

“I have questionable priorities, all right?” Gueira opened his eyes, to which Meis startled and averted his gaze back to the ceiling. “Oh, am I too close?”

“I-I mean, not any closer than you have been for years.”

“Yeah, but it’s different with a mattress. You know, when this place gets more furniture and stuff, after everyone else gets a comfy place to sleep, I’ll make sure we get separate ones—“

“No,” Meis said, a little too quickly. “I mean… I don’t mind it. Really. It’s kinda... comforting, to be honest.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Feels…” He thought his words through for once. “Less alone.”

Gueira made a noise of agreement. “Yeah, you got a point there… It would be weird to change it up at this point.” He sighed and faced the ceiling again. “... Ugh, I haven’t slept in forever and I don’t feel sleepy.”

“Same here…”

“... So, since we got time to kill…”

_ Oh no.  _ That tone in his voice warned Meis immediately of what he was about to say. 

“You never did answer my question when we were getting trucks.”

Meis hoped Gueira didn’t hear him swallow. “W-Well… as we saw while we were emptying the trucks, if a truck advertised oranges, it probably  _ did  _ carry oranges—“

“Wh— That’s not what I meant and you know it!” the redhead whined.

“Then enlighten me…”

“You were  _ gonna  _ finally tell me who you liked, remember?”

“Ah… right, that…”

“Well?”

“I can’t just talk about it here,” Meis quickly said. “The walls have ears.”

“Wh— aw, c’mon! You were totally gonna tell me before, weren’t you?”

_ Was he actually going to? Or was he just praying for a distraction after that point of no return?  _ Even Meis didn’t really know.

“Can I just ask again why you wanna know so badly?”

“Well… I just wanna know, y’know? At least so I can learn something new about you... But either way, I wanted to hook you up with someone good.”

“Hook me up…?”

“Yeah. Find you someone who can make you happy. Like you deserve.”

“You don’t have to go and do that.”

“Maybe, but I’m willing to bet that otherwise? You would never get into the scene. And you of all people deserve that kinda happiness in a life like this.”

“... That’s real nice of you to say,” Meis finally said after a long bout of indecisive silence. “But I’m not spilling anything. Not at a time like this.”

“Boo. Heh, but then again, if you don’t wanna talk, that’s okay. It’s just me being curious.” He turned away from Meis to lie on his side. “It wasn’t like I was gonna go searching for an eligible bachelor right away… You’re right about things still being hectic. So you win this round.”

Meis laid there in silence, hands resting on his stomach. “... I appreciate it,” he finally said. “Maybe I’ll tell you one of these days…”

\---

_ On the second day... _

“Come on, you matchsticks!” Gueira barked, fully clad in armor on the desert floor directly beneath the raised settlement’s platform. He made a beckoning gesture at the group of half a dozen Mad Burnish, also suited up, standing defiantly a few meters away.

One of them summoned and mounted his bike, followed by three others behind him. With a screech of four sets of tires, they all charged at Gueira in a formation that led to the four weaving around each other. Once they neared the hulking mass that was Gueira inside his armor, however, he fired two thin streams of flame at them, knocking two off their bikes. The remaining two made a leap at Gueira with hands aflame, only for them both to get swatted down.

“The hell’s this move supposed to be?!” he asked. “You don’t leave your bikes if you got the chance to speed away! You’re just asking to get caught!”

Meis and Lio watched nearby from the spiral staircase, with Meis leaning on the rail and smoking a cigarette. “Any thoughts, Boss?”

“You ought to stop smoking, first of all,” Lio said flatly. He sat down on the step, chin propped on one hand as Meis merely shrugged and flicked the cigarette away. “He’s pretty good at this.”

“Well, you’d know this of course, but it takes a few years of being on the run to get good at fighting maneuvers like this.” He looked down at Lio, who looked deep in thought. Then Meis realized he wasn’t completely focused on the sparring taking place below them, but rather looking down at the ground. “... You thinkin’ about something?”

“... Nothing important.”

“...” There was no need to pry further. It had only been a couple weeks since they had met, but there was still that sense of trust between them, particularly the trust that his Boss would speak his mind if it were important.

Below them, Gueira was whooping and cheering at the next wave of attacks on his armor. “Come on, put your backs into it! We ain’t backing down from any fight Freeze Force throws at us!”

The sound of someone descending the stairs caught Meis’ ear. He and Lio turned to find one of the Burnish, a young man with messy black hair and glasses, walking down the steps. His eyes were fixated on the Mad Burnish’s sparring on the ground floor even as he walked down.

“Uh, hey,” he greeted when he noticed them watching him descend the stairs.

Meis nodded in acknowledgement. “Hey. You came to watch them spar?”

“Oh, yeah. I just wanted to see how it’s done, is all. Is it okay if I watch?”

“There’s no harm in it,” Lio said.

Meis smirked. “You thinkin’ about joining us?”

The young man locked eyes with him quickly before turning his gaze to Gueira, who was demonstrating how to send more controlled blasts of fire across the desert ground. His glasses glinted from the sunlight, shielding his expression. “Hm... maybe, yeah.”

Below them, Gueira whooped as some of the grunts jumped their bikes onto the streams of solid fire he threw down, balancing on top at high speeds before leaping off. One even pulled a midair trick with their legs flying behind them before they landed safely back on the ground.

“NICE one!” Gueira shouted. “But don’t actually do tricks when we’re raiding, ‘kay?! This ain’t Mario Kart.” He turned to the three Burnish on the stair sloop, the visor on his helmet lifting to show his face. “Hey, Meis! Boss! Why dontcha join us?!”

“We’re good!” Meis called back. He gestured to the young man with them. “This guy might wanna get a front row seat, though!”

“Uh-- what? Wait--”

“Really?!” Still in his armor, Gueira lumbered over (rather awkwardly, given his bulk). “Oh hey, you were from the jailbreak group, right? You thinkin’ about maybe joining Mad Burnish?”

“Maybe,” he smiled. “I mean-- I’d love to help out.”

“If you think you’re up for it, we’re always accepting new members.” With the added height of his armor, Gueira reached up and held out a hand for the newbie to step onto like a platform. “Name’s Gueira if you didn’t catch it, by the way.”

“Adrian,” he greeted back. “Do I just--” He stepped cautiously onto Gueira’s armored hand, which carefully carried him back to the ground floor. “Thanks.”

“You can back out if you want, but let’s see what you can do!” the redhead cackled. “Summon your armor and get ready to fight, Adrian!”

“You mean it?” When Gueira nodded, Adrian put on a determined face. “Right… okay!” With a pump of his fist, he summoned his armor, shining black with pink accents.

“Wow, nice!” Gueira whistled. “Already have your armor planned out and everything! Okay, show us what you got!”

Up the stairs, Meis and Lio continued to watch with interest as the two began to spar. Lio turned his head partially to Meis. “You sure you don’t want to join them?”

“Nah,” he shook his head. “Sometimes it’s just fun to watch Gueira go ham on newbies.” 

\---

_ On the third day… _

As Lio passed by one of the free rooms of the base, he paused upon hearing the sound of children laughing inside. He peered his head inside the room in confusion. They hadn’t yet decided on what to use the room for, but fittingly enough, he had personal thoughts on turning it into a classroom. Inside, Gueira was sitting atop his ATV. He was armorless, but letting some of the younger kids sit on the vehicle. 

“Gueira,” Lio greeted. He crossed his arms with a teasing smile. “You know the rules. No bikes inside.”

A chorus of “aww’s” from Gueira and the kids forced Lio to hold back a laugh. “But Booooss,” Gueira whined. “I was just showing the kids real quick, promise! I swear, I wasn’t gonna take them for a joyride or anything.”

“Aww, I was gonna ask for one…” Paola pouted.

“It’s really fun!” Bianca chirped. “I got to ride a long time ago when Gueira busted me and my mom outta jail!”

“No way! Really?!” They turned to Gueira. “Can we at least see you do some tricks?!”

Gueira chuckled. “Tricks, huh? I’m not really a tricks guy, actually. That’s kinda more Meis’ department.”

“Really? He doesn’t look like the kinda guy to do that.”

“Why do you say that?”

“He’s too grumpy all the time.”

“Grumpy? Him? Pssh…” The redhead waved off the notion. “... Okay, maybe sometimes. But you know, if he’s ever strict with you guys, you gotta understand it’s just because he’s lookin’ out for ya too.”

“Alright…”

“I mean it! You know, he may not show it, but he likes you kids a whole lot too. Y’wanna know some of the things he did?” Some of the kids nodded. “Meis is the fastest outta all of us. You know that. But he’s also super strong and smart too! I’ve seen him jump off jets on his bike to escape with other Burnish, with a trail of Burnish fire making a bridge in front of him! That’s how he saved Bianca’s mom before. He’s that awesome!”

“Whoa, really?” Paola gasped, craning her head up to look at Gueira.

“Yeah! Another time, he saved me from a mad scientist too in a holding facility! Same place we had our first jailbreak. I woulda bit the dust if it weren’t for him.”

“No way!”

“Yes way.” He was grinning now. “And one time, in this one city, when Freeze Force was on our tail, I saw he was barreling towards this lady on a crosswalk with her baby in a stroller, but he couldn’t slow down, so y’know what he did? He had to like, jump over them and break down his bike so he wouldn’t hit them! He did a flip and everything! And then, then he remade his bike just before he hit the ground! It was  _ sick! _ ”

“Whoooaa, no way!!”

Lio caught the sound of someone holding back laughter and backed out of the room to find Meis hiding around the corner, a hand stifling the laughter in his mouth. Meis locked eyes with him in slight surprise. “Was that one true?” Lio asked with a bemused smile.

Meis snorted. “No way in hell.”

\---

_ On the fourth day… _

“Meis, come on!” Gueira whined. “We can’t just turn down an opportunity like this!”

“Hm…”

“Please?” He clapped his hands together in a begging motion. “Think of the children! You gotta put in a good word for us!”

Meis crossed his arms and hummed pensively at the scene in front of him. “I just don’t know if we’re ready for this.”

“But it’s a  _ dog! _ ” Gueira waved his arms and gestured to the black and brown dog sitting patiently and panting off to the side, tail wagging so hard from the attention that it looked as though it would fall off. 

Nobody expected the latest raid team to bring back a dog with them (after all, why would they?), but here they were. According to the raid leader, it had  _ somehow  _ managed to stow away on the pick-up truck the group had managed to steal for the return trip.

From the way the grunts were fawning over the dog, though, Meis would’ve thought maybe there were some details being left out from that report...

“Gueira…” he sighed, trying not to show amusement at Gueira’s pout. “Look-- don’t look at me like that. Please. You know as well as I do that we’re gonna be tight on supplies for a while. Plus, it’d be hard to care for a dog all the while up here.”

“We already talked it over when they gave me report!” Gueira argued. “We came up with like, a schedule and everything! Who gets to feed him, take him on walks--”

“Gueira--”

“Come on, please? The kids are gonna love him too! Look at him!” He gestured again to the dog, who promptly took it as a sign to come closer. He then crouched down to its level and started squishing its cheeks in his hands. “Think of the morale boost he could give everyone!”

“He  _ is  _ cute, I’ll give him that…” Meis smiled and knelt down, letting the dog sniff his hand before he pet it. “Plus, it would be cruel to just send him back into the wild. He definitely looks like he’s a stray…”

“Gueira? Meis?” Lio’s voice.

“Shit, here he comes!” Gueira said. He looked at Meis pleadingly again. “I’m really counting on you to back me up here!”

“I-- ugh, fine.”

Lio came in. “There you guys are. I was wondering--” He paused, immediately looking over to the dog sitting beside Gueira. “... That’s a dog.”

“It sure is, Boss.”

“How did it get up here?”

“Raid team ‘accidentally’ bought him in,” Meis explained with air quotes. He was swiftly elbowed in the side by Gueira.

Lio squinted and crossed his arms, staring at the dog petulantly. “...”

“Sooooo, Boss…” Gueira began after a quick nudge in the side from Meis’ elbow. “We were thinking-- and, we know you have the final say in this, being our one and only  _ incredible  _ Boss-- but we were thinking maybe it’d be a good idea to adopt a dog?” A pause. “Specifically this one. Since, you know, it just so  _ happens _ to be here.”

After a few intense moments of staring, he sighed and knelt down, at which the dog happily perked its ears up and walked over to be pet. “Look, I like the idea, but I don’t know if it’d be good for this fellow to live here…”

Gueira slumped his shoulders, to which Meis cleared his throat. “I know we could get tight on food and water, but once things really start to pick up with the raids, I’m sure we can manage to put aside some for him. In fact, we could use him for like, leftovers that no one wants to eat. That gets rid of a food spoilage problem!”

“Wouldn’t we just burn whatever we discard anyway?” Lio asked.

“I mean, yeah, but… might as well feed that leftover food to someone, if we get any. Uh-- plus, he could be good for the kids’ morale.”

“Morale is important… but I just don’t know if this is a good idea—“

As Lio set his hand down on the dog’s head again, it suddenly snorted and shook its head, before it suddenly sneezed. As it sneezed, it materialized an unmistakable burst of Burnish flames from its body. 

“What the—?!”

It sneezed again, and there was another brief flash of flames. One more sneeze, and the dog sat back down with a panting smile, right in the middle of a ring of scorched flooring. 

“... A Burnish dog?” Lio finally asked, bewildered. 

“A-Apparently!” Gueira said, suddenly enthusiastic. “This is news to us too!” He knelt down and patted his legs, and the dog happily sauntered over to him, tail viciously wagging up a storm again. “You’re full of tricks, aren’t you, boy! Aren’t you?! Yes you are!”

Meis held back an amused smile as he stood next to Lio. “Does this affect your decision at all?”

Lio sighed and shook his head with a smile. “I guess this was a losing battle for me from the start…”

\---

_ On the fifth day… _

“How many times do I have to tell you to quit this already?” Meis snapped. Old Man Richard cowered under the scolding. “Listen here, old timer. I told you time and time again that we’re tight on rations.”

“Ohh…” The old man groaned and looked up at Meis with a spacey look in his eye. “What was that, now?”

“I said,” Meis spoke up in a louder voice, “ _ stop taking all the rations and hiding them!” _

“Ehh…? What’re you yelling at me for? I-If you want my money, I ain’t got none, you know…”

“Meis.” The two turned to find Lio at the doorway. “Is something wrong?”

He sighed and jerked a thumb at Richard. “He’s been taking rations for himself again.” He leaned over and whispered just loud enough for Lio to hear. “He’s suddenly acting like he doesn’t have a clue what I’m saying too. I don’t wanna make accusations, but…”

Lio’s brow furrowed. “You think he’s acting senile? Meis… look at him.”

They both turned to find the old man spacing out and staring at nothing, before looking right at them with a bewildered look.

“...” Meis sighed. “Sorry. My temper’s running thin with this guy.”

Lio nodded in acknowledgement and picked up the cans of preservatives that the old man had apparently taken for himself. He spoke in a louder voice than usual. “Sir, we have to take these back to the pantry, okay? If you’re hungry, just tell one of the Mad Burnish you see over there. You know Gabe and Hya?”

“Ah? Gabe and Hya?”

“Yes, the one with the really long hair and the one with the long bowlcut? Ask them for food if you’re hungry, but don’t take any for yourself without asking, okay?”

“Ah… okay. Thank you, erm… Lio.”

As the two left the room once more, Meis turned to look at Richard. They locked eyes, both squinting at one another. With a resigned sigh, Meis shoved his hands in his pockets and walked alongside Lio. “Look,” he said. “Pardon me for being suspicious, but the first day he was here, he wasn’t acting like that at all.”

“Even so, for people like that, you always ought to try reasoning with them first.”

Meis scoffed. “If only it were that easy…”

“... It doesn’t work on everyone,” Lio continued, averting his eyes to the side. “But for some people, there’s a chance it might just work…”

_ There was that look in the Boss’ eyes again.  _

“You don’t reckon that strategy will work with Freeze Force, do you?” Meis asked jokingly.

That earned a chuckle, albeit a hollow one, from Lio. “Heavens, no. Well, then again, I’ve been surprised before.”

“Ah, Boss,” one of the grunts waved from down the hall. They looked panicked, sticking their head out of the medical ward’s entrance. “It’s urgent. Please, we need you over here.”

\---

_ On the sixth day... _

It was a peaceful death. Approximately 9:45 at night. There wasn’t anything more to do for the critically ill Burnish who had been laying in the medical ward since the first day. He’d been there for the five days since arrival, yet it wasn’t until that night that Meis learned his name and committed it to memory. Jeremiah. He didn’t have any particularly close friends or family, at least none that came forward in his last moments. He couldn’t even find much strength to speak, much less give any more information about who he was before his body turned ashen and began to crumble away into nothing.

He had been in their cell at the prison. The three of them felt they should’ve known more about him despite their short time together.

It was just them at his side when he passed, though some concerned Burnish had been waiting anxiously outside the ward’s entrance once news started circulating about Jeremiah’s condition.

“From flames to ashes, from ashes to earth…” Lio recited softly like a prayer. “Rest in peace…”

Gueira and Meis knelt on either side of Lio, both staring downcast at the fading pile of ashes where Jeremiah had once been. Silently, Gueira laid a hand on Lio’s shoulder, though he received no response. 

“... You did your best, Boss,” Gueira finally said. “He went out peacefully.”

“It wasn’t enough,” Lio simply said. 

“He endured too much before we came in,” Meis said solemnly. “There wasn’t a whole lot we could’ve done.”

“... Then let’s ensure the rest of the Burnish can live from this point on.” Lio stood, voice even and steady. “For Thyma, Jeremiah, everyone…” 

_ \--- _

_ On the seventh day... _

Since the first day the new arrivals came to the settlement, members of Mad Burnish-- both those captured previously and those who evaded capture and founded the settlement-- had been given shifts to keep watch for possible Freeze Force attacks from the rooftops. Though they were quite far from non-Burnish civilization and had the comforting safety of being surrounded by volcanic activity, there was still the obvious issue of paranoia at the possibility of being captured once more. Considering the ample amount of windows to the outside from within the structure, it was decided that there wouldn’t have to be shifts during the daytime. For nighttime, however, it would give everyone peace of mind to know there were at least a few people keeping watch.

Being the two top generals to Lio, Gueira and Meis had both assigned themselves to stay on night watch duty, along with a few other Burnish who would patrol elsewhere on the settlement’s highest floor away from them.

_ Pcch. _ Meis cracked open one of the cans they bought up just as Gueira did, but held back upon smelling its contents. “Wait, this is alcohol…” he pointed out. He turned the can in his hand. He didn’t recognize the brand. In fact, he didn’t even know alcohol could come in cans.

“Oh, ugh, for real?” Gueira squinted at the can in his hand similarly. Meis could’ve sworn he saw him gag at the smell. “Eugh… I... think I’ll pass, then.”

“Right…” Besides the fact they were on guard duty, there were those obvious scars of the past. “I don’t even recognize most of the things the guys have been picking up on these raids.”

“Why don’t  _ we  _ go on a raid then sometime? I’ll make a shopping list. That way we’ll get the good shit for sure. It’ll be like the good ol’ days too.”

“Ooh, have you got paper? I’d kill for some of those, like, pre-made sushi you find at the deli aisle.”

“Uh oh, better watch that language or Boss is gonna give it to ya.” Gueira chuckled, only for it to die down upon garnering no response from his partner. “... You think he’s okay?”

“He’s been avoiding you too?”

“Yeah…” He leaned back from where he was sitting. “I mean, I don’t blame him.”

“I know. Neither do I.” He heaved a heavy sigh. “But just give him time. If he wants to talk, he’ll let us know.”

“You two are really alike like that.”

“Oh, are we now?”

“Yeah. In fact… got anything on your mind? We’re gonna be here a while.”

“... I still feel bad for Jeremiah.”

“There it is.”

“What, I’m not allowed to feel bad for him?”

“No, I mean I figured that’s what was on your mind all day.”

“Am I that transparent?”

“More than you think. But I mean more like, why wouldn’t you be?”

Meis looked down. “Guy really didn’t have anyone here… I can’t really imagine what his life must’ve been like.”

“Yeah…” Gueira adjusted the way he sat, bringing one knee to his chin. “He really didn’t say a lot about himself when he had the chance.”

“No, I mean the way he had to make it out there alone before getting captured.”

“Maybe he didn’t have to go on the run,” Gueira pointed out. “Maybe he got captured right away. Not everyone’s as lucky as we are.”

“Oh. You’re right.”  _ They really had been lucky to evade capture as long as they did, huh? _

“But wow, I didn’t even think of that. If a guy could survive on his own for that long…”

“You think it’s possible?” Meis asked. 

“I sure as hell wouldn’t have been able to do it.” Meis looked up to find Gueira staring up at the sky. He wore a wistful, almost sad smile on his face. “Not without you.”

“... You think so… I don’t think I would’ve been able to handle it either.”

“What?” Gueira scoffed. “I bet you would’ve. You had all the like, resources and shit to last a while.”

“Yeah, but it would’ve been lonely.”

“That’s what you’re worried about?”

“I mean like, some things you feel better doing with a partner.” Meis paused. “Did that sound wrong at all?” Gueira laughed. “That sounded wrong, didn’t it.”

“It didn’t until you mentioned it.” He grinned at Meis. “But yeah… I feel that. Guess it would’ve been harder to do those convenience store runs. Remember those?”

“Heh, yeah… good times...” He gazed out on the open horizon in front of them. In the distance was a cluster of volcanoes, their supposed natural guardian of the settlement. He made a frame with his fingers.

“You’re doing that thing again,” Gueira pointed out. “Do you… I mean, I don’t  _ doubt  _ that you could pull it off, but do you really think it’s practical in case of an emergency?”

Meis scoffed. “Look who’s talking to me about practicality,” he said. 

“Fuck you, don’t even start,” Gueira pouted exaggeratedly. 

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding…” Meis continued staring, specifically at the furthest volcano in the distance. “I’ve been trying to figure out how Charle made that gun with his flames… I’d practice, but if Boss were to find out, we’d never get the chance to--”

He was shushed by Gueira as they heard the clang of footsteps climbing up the metal stairs leading to the rooftop. “Boss?”

“Good evening,” Lio greeted, his face still neutral. “I’m sorry, am I interrupting?”

“Not at all. Did something happen?” 

When Lio shook his head, Meis patted the ground next to him. The younger Burnish sat quietly. “Just… wanted to check on you guys.”

“We’re fine. Nothing goin’ on tonight so far,” Gueira reported. “But uh… is anything on your mind?”

He looked away. “There always is, of course…”

“You wanna talk about it?” He got no answer at first. “... You don’t have to if you don’t wanna.”

“It’s a bit… off-topic, though.”

“You can still talk about it. We’re all ears.”

“Well…” Lio crossed his legs, eyes downcast. “I’ve been thinking about what we can do to improve the lives of the people here. The quality of life isn’t the worst, but it’s not the best either. I was thinking one of these days, we could do another supply run in another city, maybe either in another city or closer to Promepolis’ shopping district.”

“The raid teams have reportedly been hitting the stores on the very outskirts of Promepolis with enough success already,” Meis reminded him. “We  _ could  _ try to inch a little closer into the shopping district if we’re feeling lucky since the next city over is kinda far from here, but I do worry about Burning Rescue sniffing us out since the city is primarily their turf. Not to mention the anti-Burnish architecture...”

Gueira scoffed. “As long as we can hightail it outta there, I wouldn’t worry about those popsicles.”

“They’re not something to take lightly…” Lio muttered. “Especially that Galo Thymos…”

“Who?”

“The one who fought me.” He leaned to the side, cheek in hand and arm propped up by his knee. “And the one who followed us to the cave.”

Gueira scoffed again in contempt. “Oh.  _ That  _ guy. Y’know Boss, I bet you coulda taken him if we were fighting for real.”

Lio gave an amused laugh, though his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Maybe… He’s an interesting man, I’ll give him that.”

Meis’ eyes narrowed. “What makes you say that?”

“He’s an idiot for sure,” Lio started, “but he’s… genuine in his intent. When Thyma was dying, he wanted to get supplies to help her. Apparently, he didn’t seem aware of what the Foresight Foundation was doing to Burnish like her… like us, more like.”

“Didn’t he get a medal from that jackass too?” Gueira asked.

“Hmph. Talk about blind obedience…” Meis muttered.

“... He looked contemplative when we left him there,” Lio continued, evidently deep in thought. “I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up… But maybe there can be good in people like him. It’s jarring to think about. I wonder if they can sleep well at night knowing what their higher-ups do behind their backs.”

“No skin off my bones…” Gueira said with a sigh, leaning back.

“... I still want to be hopeful. That maybe people can change. Is that bad?”

Gueira pondered over it for a moment, looking up in contemplation. He made an indecisive noise. “I dunno. Depends on the person.”

“Some people can change for the better,” Meis offered. “Sometimes they're too stuck in their ways to ever make a change for the better. But yeah, it depends. Depends on how deeply rooted they are in their beliefs.” He paused, mulling over his thoughts. “It’d be nice if that were how things like that worked… but it’s hard for most people to change like that. So I wouldn’t get my hopes up too high…”

Lio nodded slowly, taking in their words. “Right… Well, as things are now, we’ll have to keep fighting for our survival. That’s what we’ll focus on.”

“And we’re right behind you every step of the way, Boss,” Meis said.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” He stood. “I’ll leave you two be, if you don’t need anything.”

“You can stay if you want.”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“Yeah, you should get some rest too!” Gueira piped in. 

“Right. Goodnight Gueira, Meis. You two behave.”

\--- 

_ On the eighth day… _

“Welcome home!” Gueira greeted the new arrivals coming in from the latest raid. “Don’t worry, we don’t bite. Some folks up top’ll show you around.” He grinned as the raid team members followed behind, catching one by the shoulder. “Adrian! How was your first mission?”

“Oh, pretty good! The others are showing me the ropes already.”

“Great, great! You gotta tell me about it later…” he said with a friendly pat on the shoulder. 

Meis meanwhile helped Rach and the others unpack their loot. “Nicely done as usual. Any trouble to report?”

“Nothing significant. We made sure we weren’t followed, as always. We got a good amount of food and water too this time.”

“Thanks as always. Go rest up. Y’all earned it.”

There were a couple of new Burnish brought in by the small team of Mad Burnish sent out for that morning’s raid. Just two, a couple of teenagers, but every life kept away from Freeze Force was meaningful in its own right. They were both girls, both clearly not older than high school age.

“We’ll actually be safe here…?” one of them asked, looking up at the structure above them.

“As safe as we can be,” Meis assured. “Don’t be scared, alright? You’ll fit right in.”

_ What a nostalgic feeling, watching these two youths look up at their new home and new family with wide eyes... _

She looked up at him with a nervous look in her eye. Her partner then stepped forward and offered her hand with an encouraging nod. She hesitated just for a moment, then took her hand, and the both of them started up the stairs. Gueira, Meis, and the raid team they had sent followed up shortly.

At the top, Leonix was waiting and leaning over the rail. Though he acknowledged the two new members of the family with a cheerful smile, the subtle shine of disappointment in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed by Meis.

“So... two new members?” he asked, clearly trying not to sound disappointed.

Rach shook their head. “It’s always a miracle to find even one Burnish to bring home.”

“Yeah! Yeah, of course. Y’all did a great job finding them.”

“We’ll let you know immediately if any of the raid teams come back with one of our old friends,” Meis gently reminded him. “Just… don’t get too hopeful.”

“What kinda advice is that?” Leonix scoffed, almost sounding offended. “‘Don’t get too hopeful…’ You know, sometimes hope is all that’ll keep our people alive out there. Even if the odds are stacked against you…”

“He’s got a point, y’know,” Gueira joined in. “One of these days, we’re bound to find our old crew. Right?” He looked out at the expansive desert in front of them. “Yuriika, Blair, Ravio… Not to mention Sasha, Yza, Ymir… All of them. They’re just waiting for us somewhere.”

“Yeah… all of them…” Leonix looked down forlornly. “... And I hope… maybe also…”

“You got someone else you’re looking for?”

“I mean, of course I’m looking forward to seeing our old friends again…”

“With all that talk about hope…” Gueira hummed and rubbed his chin. “You’re still thinking of that old flame, aren’t you?”

Meis rolled his eyes. As he did so, he blinked. Something bright hit the corner of his eye. With a frown, he looked out at the open desert again, scanning around. It didn’t come from the direction in which the raid group returned, but somewhere else...

Leonix meanwhile let out an embarrassed laugh. “Gee, how’d you guess…”

“Nothing gets past me, y’know. But… it’s been like, six years for you, Nix.”

“Hey, let a guy have a little hope...”

Meis squinted as he tried to find where the glint of light had hit his eyes. There was something kicking up a flurry of dust near the rolling hills of sand. A dust storm? No… He strained to see under the harsh afternoon light. From where he stood, it looked like…

His eyes widened.

_ Freeze Force tanks. A whole line of them, heading their way. _

“Shit,” he muttered breathlessly.

“I’m just saying, right Me-- Meis?” Gueira caught the distress in his voice and turned to where he was looking. Leonix and Rach turned as well.

“Freeze Force is coming,” Meis said, shakily pointing at the distance. The others quickly turned to face where he was pointing, squinting just as he did.

“What? No, you’re wrong. We made sure we weren’t being followed—”

“They’re coming in a different way.” Meis pointed again, and this time they seemed to see what he saw. 

“What?! Then how—“

Rach’s eyes widened. “We need to find the Boss!” Already, they were running inside the settlement, with Leonix following in a panic. “Come on!!”

“Fuck!! How did they find us out?!” Gueira shouted in distress.

“H-Hold on, stay calm!” Meis urged. “Rach’s right, we gotta find Lio. Let’s go! There’s no time to waste!!”

While the other two Burnish headed off down the corridor in one direction, Gueira and Meis took off in the other direction. They weaved and nearly shoved past the other Burnish who were mingling about in the common areas, oblivious to the situation and only getting mildly annoyed at the pair running past. 

“Boss!!” Gueira called out. Lio turned around at hearing his voice. He had been in the middle of taking reports from other members of Mad Burnish. “Boss, it’s an emergency!”

“What? What’s going on?”

Gueira took him by the shoulder and pulled him away from the others. “Freeze Force. We spotted a whole line of them coming this way, and fast!”

“What…?!” Lio looked at him in disbelief. “That’s… Are you sure? That can’t be! They shouldn’t be able to spot us from all the way out here!”

“There’s no doubt about it. They’re heading this way. What’re we gonna do, Boss?” Meis asked. “We need to get everyone outta here. We might still have time before they arrive.”

“We have to round everyone up,” Lio agreed. He turned to the Mad Burnish he was just receiving a report from. “You all, get everyone to gather at the trucks immediately--!”

_ BANG!! _

A shot rang out in the distance, down the corridor in the direction where Leonix and Rach had run off. The trio turned to the sound with wide eyes. Somewhere down the corridor, someone was falling over, completely encased in a block of ice. 

They were too late.

_ BANG!! BANG!! BANG!! _

Shots continued to ring out, and soon there was a rapid fire of gunshots. The Burnish idling about in the common areas suddenly broke into screams and started running in scattered directions as each of them suddenly erupted into ice statues, completely encased and falling over to the ground with faces frozen in shock and terror.

“GET DOWN!!” Gueira screamed as he immediately shoved Meis and Lio down with him to the side of the corridor. Above them, a Freeze Force tank suddenly broke through the ceiling, crashing onto the corridor floor and driving into the blocks of frozen Burnish, shoving them down as it barreled down the hall.

“NO--!!” Lio cried out, watching in horror as they were all swept away. The horrific sound of crunching metal somewhere far down the corridor signaled to them that the tank had driven through the wall, no doubt pushing all those frozen Burnish to the desert below and possibly crushing them. Lio immediately leapt to his feet with Gueira and Meis in tow, the three of them running to the aid of anybody who managed to avoid getting shot.

All around them, their makeshift rooms had been torn down. Supplies were strewn about and ruined on the ground, their garden of potted plants broken and crushed around them and hung clothes dirtied by the wreckage. One boy was cowering underneath a large plank he had hidden under. A frozen elderly woman had been left behind on the ground, her mouth fixed in a screaming gape. A couple of Burnish had been frozen and subsequently crushed to pieces from the tank’s impact.

“No…” Lio stared at the carnage in front of them.

The whole structure started shaking, nearly knocking them all off their feet and onto the ground like an earthquake.

“What now?!” Gueira shouted.

It only took a second for Meis to understand as the floor started tilting and breaking underneath them, a horrible groaning of metal warning them of what’s about to happen. “They’re gonna tear it down!!”

Around them, they could hear others screaming, and some of the frozen blocks started sliding out of reach. Soon the whole structure was abruptly tilting faster, with the trio sliding along with everyone and everything else.

“Guys--!!” Lio cried out, somehow managing to grab both Gueira and Meis’ wrists as the world crumbled and fell around them.

Meis squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for impact as he tried to pull Lio in closer, and as he felt Gueira’s arms bring both of them into a tight, protective embrace, his hands clutching tightly to their shirts.

  
  
  
  


** _CRASH!!!_ **

A harsh crash woke Meis up, though he couldn’t tell if he had even blacked out at first. When he opened his eyes, he could nearly feel the weight of their settlement’s foundation over them, thankfully kept up by some of the wreckage so he, Gueira, and Lio weren’t completely crushed.

“... Careful!”

It wasn’t Gueira nor Lio’s voice that Meis heard first. Rather, it was the last person he wanted to hear upon waking up, and it sounded far away.

“We don’t want ‘em dead.”  _ Vulcan _ . “They’re precious fuel!”

Lio’s flame lit up the wreckage the three had been pinned under. Illuminated by his purple flame, Meis could see the darkness in both Lio and Gueira’s eyes. Already he could feel the fury settling deep in their hearts, as well as in his own.

“ _ They’re gonna pay, _ ” Lio hissed, his hands already positioned to throw whatever was on top of them off. 

From the burst of energy Gueira and Meis’ flames shared to his, he was given the strength to clear the wreckage over them.

In an instant, the tank that had crushed the three of them was sent flying into the air, landing squarely on another tank near where Vulcan and some other Freeze Force soldiers had regrouped. Upon impact, both tanks exploded, and Vulcan immediately turned his attention to the trio, now standing upright and prepared to fight.

The other members of Mad Burnish who had recovered from the settlement’s fall had gathered behind the trio, drawn in by the Burnish signal held up by Lio’s open palm. The trio glared down at Vulcan and his soldiers from where they stood, and with a wave of his hand, Lio threw down his flame.

When they cleared, they stood armored just as their own loyal comrades already were, the heat rising and intensifying with their anger. Already, there were Freeze Force soldiers with guns pointed at them, awaiting orders to fire.

“How did you find us?” Lio demanded, his voice even and steady but clear with fury.

Vulcan stepped down from his tank and aimed his gun at them with that unrelenting, toothy grin. “Who knows?” he said tauntingly. “Take a wild guess.”

_ Wild guess…? _

“Be careful, Lio,” came a meek voice behind the trio. There was a rapid beeping and a hiss. Suddenly, with a surprised grunt, the front of Lio’s torso was frozen in a thick layer of ice. 

Before Gueira and Meis could even turn their heads fully, a gunshot rang out, and a bullet pierced right through Lio’s armor. Suddenly, he was down on the ground on his stomach, struggling and armor expanding. The duo could only watch in horror as spikes of ice burst through Lio’s armor as he gasped in pain, and for a terrifying second they were convinced he had been fatally skewered throughout his body.

“BOSS!!” Gueira cried out. He pounded a fist against his chest as he looked around for the source of the voice, before his eyes landed on Vulcan. “You bastard--!”

They watched as Old Man Richard scurried over to the opposing side, much faster than they would’ve ever expected him to move. He was shaking around frantically behind Vulcan. “I’ve been waiting for you, Mr. Vulcan!” he sang almost cheerfully.

In that moment, Meis could also feel the numbing cold in the pit of his stomach.

Lio lifted his head up, struggling to get up even as ice and frost started to creep up his skin. “You told him…?!  _ What have you done?! _ ”

“GET ‘EM!!” Vulcan ordered. His soldiers opened fire, bullets hailing down on the Burnish and freezing most of them instantly. 

Both Gueira and Meis summoned their bikes and sped away from the direct line of fire, getting pelted multiple times in the process but not getting encased immediately. The Burnish civilians who had escaped the wreckage unscathed, however, were frozen instantly upon every bullet’s impact. All around the wreckage of their home, the other members of Mad Burnish tried to take one last stand, but even they were taken out under the hailstorm being thrown at them. Still, they valiantly tried to stand between the guns and innocents behind them. Every Burnish that Gueira and Meis tried to reach were instantly trapped away in a frozen prison before they could even get to them. Even with the hulking size of Gueira’s armor trying to act as a shield, and even with the speed of Meis’ bike, neither of them could save a single Burnish from the hailstorm of bullets.

It was hopeless.

And there in the middle of it all, Vulcan was tauntingly sitting on the frozen body of the old man who betrayed them all and talking down to Lio, who couldn’t even move as most of his limbs were rendered immobile in ice.

“I know you got caught on purpose to free the prisoners,” Vulcan was saying as Gueira and Meis both looped around the field. “Thought you outsmarted us, huh?!” They both flinched upon seeing the armored behemoth land a heavy punch on Lio’s cheek, sending him flying up. “ _ We saw you coming from a mile away, brat! _ ”

With an angry grunt, Lio managed to break free from his own icy prison, if only for a short time, to slam his sword of Burnish flame into Vulcan’s shoulder. It did nothing but steam in his hand, however.

Vulcan grabbed hold of the blade and continued with Lio’s eyes widening in shock. “You even gathered all the Burnish in one spot to save us time! Ain’t that generous?!”

_ Everything they did… All the promises they made to keep the Burnish safe… It was all for nothing. _

Lio’s blade broke in Vulcan’s grasp, and following that Vulcan threw several heavy punches into Lio’s already-battered body. Somehow, amongst the chorus of screams from the Burnish under direct fire, Lio’s cries of pain stood out to Gueira and Meis as they both closed in on Vulcan.

With his ATV at max speed, Gueira rammed right into Vulcan’s back, forcing him to drop Lio. “HOW DARE YOU HIT THE BOSS?!”

Meis followed up from the other side, harshly side-ramming his bike into Vulcan’s body. “HOW DARE YOU HIT THE SETTLEMENT?!” 

As they tried to drive away after, however, Vulcan opened fire from his gun, pelting the two with enough bullets to completely freeze their bikes. With a shocked cry, both of them rolled off their vehicles, but just as quickly leapt to their feet.

Once more, the rage in their hearts spread between them, collecting in the form of a firestorm at their feet. Together they raised their arms as Vulcan landed in his tank. 

“ _ YOU’RE GONNA PAY!! _ ” They both threw their arms down at the same time, creating an explosion that sent Vulcan’s tank flying a good distance away. It rolled continuously down the slopes of the desert ground, though there was no room to celebrate the direct hit. 

Meis looked behind him, spotting Lio lying on the ground. He was shivering helplessly in the confinement of his icy prison. Even for someone as powerful as him, there was no easily breaking out of there, especially not under the time constraints they were under. 

And what about them? There was no way they could escape all these tanks even if they could summon their bikes again. There were too many. They were too strong. 

He knew Gueira was thinking the same thing. He certainly didn’t like having to resort to this, but it was now or never. 

“He’s gonna come back!” Gueira yelled, already getting into position. “Meis, get ready! I’m counting on you for this!”

“Right!”

Soon the tank was upright and charging straight at them with squealing tired. Just before it could ram into them, though, both Gueira and Meis dug their feet into the ground, arms raised as a wall of flames rose in front of them to block the tank off. The force alone should’ve knocked them both down, yet the pair stood their ground, both screaming in determination to keep the wall up. 

It was painful, and the injuries they sustained from the settlement’s fall were only now starting to become of notice to them both. Meis felt his whole body burn in a painful way, like his very blood was on fire from pushing himself to the limit. He could only imagine what Gueira was feeling. But there was a voice in the back of their minds. They couldn’t fall now. _ If there could be even one life saved from this... _

“You guys, stop!” Lio called out, looking back at them from the ground. He was completely frozen up to his neck now. “You have to run away, now!” he pleaded.

“Forget about us!” Meis yelled back, taking one hand off the wall-- a risky move that forced Gueira to contribute more of his strength to keep it up-- and aiming it at Lio. “The Burnish’s flame will keep burning as long as you make it!”

Though his voice was strained from focusing on the wall, Gueira joined in with one last grin, “Your flame is the _ strongest there is…! _ ”

Two streams of fire trailed off of Meis’ outstretched hand, converging over Lio and wrapping him in both red and blue flames. The flames took shape, constructing itself into the shape of a giant cannon, with Lio as its sole shot. 

“No…!” Lio pleaded, though there was nothing he could do as the cannon completed its construction, the barrel falling towards the Freeze Force tank at first, before Meis directed it away from them-- as  _ far  _ away from Freeze Force as it could possibly go: towards the volcano just on the edge of the horizon.

“ _ You bastards…!! _ ” Vulcan shouted from inside his tank. The tank began releasing ice charges from its front, slowly freezing the protective wall of flames from bottom to top.

There was no more time for last goodbyes beyond what was already said. Meis turned back to the wall, pulling the cannon’s trigger in his arm as he did so. 

“GO!!”

** _BOOM!!!_ **

In a brilliant, purple explosion, the cannon fired, breaking instantly upon doing so, and Lio was sent sailing across the sky. “ _ GUYS, NO!! _ ”

Upon hearing the despair in his voice, Meis couldn’t help but turn back with a satisfied smile. 

“We did it…!” Gueira choked out just as the wall in front of them finally gave out. Just as the last of their flames disappeared in ice, the tank rammed right into them, knocking the wind out of their lungs and knocking them onto their backs. Before they could react further, another furious hailstorm of bullets rained down on them, reducing their armor to nothing in seconds and freezing their bodies instantly.

And everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to my friends Paige and Adri for lending me their OC's (Rach & Nadège and Adrian, respectively) for this chapter! (Edit: Also credit to my friend Jo for thinking to name the old man Richard) I have too many friends to thank, honestly. If you've ever said something nice about me or my work, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please leave a comment if you got anything at all to say.
> 
> I'll see you again soon!


	12. Promare: Through Red and Blue Eyes pt. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAND WE'RE BACK!! Back so soon, I know, but I'm too excited to release another chapter to wait too long. Sadly, it is with great sorrow that I announce this is the last chapter.....  
...  
... of the first half of the fic! Like I said, for as long as I can help it, I'll keep writing this story as long as there's someone to write for. This final chapter of the pre/during-movie half of the fic is dedicated to my friends of our GueiMei server who have always taken the time out of their days to react to my work. Y'all are the best, and this story is my gift to you.

It was bright when Meis finally woke up. The sounds of whirring and moving parts all around stirred him gently out of unconsciousness, though it felt like he was still floating in a dream. His vision was fuzzy as he stared up, feeling the Earth move underneath him… or no, he was being moved, on a conveyor belt perhaps?

He squinted at the harsh lights above him. Attempting to move did nothing but remind him of the aching pain present throughout his whole body. Even turning his head to the side made his neck ache. He did so anyway, spotting more conveyor belts carrying more Burnish, all of them unconscious.

_ Where’s Gueira…? _

He hissed softly in pain. He was still cold. So very cold. It took a moment to register that he was lying in a puddle of icy cold water. That’s right, he had been frozen completely. Before he knew it, he was being passed under some kind of machine. He could hear beeping. He could hear people talking all around him. It all sounded like gibberish. He was tired. 

He closed his eyes as he felt something cold close over his wrists and ankles, and everything went black again.

\---

His eyes opened again sometime later. There was no telling how long had passed.

_ It’s dark. _

It was dark all around. Meis groaned as he fully regained consciousness. The first thing he noticed was how chillingly cold his surroundings were. He was still just as exhausted as before, but his mind was much clearer, at least. He barely remembered the sensation of being trapped in a block of ice, though now he still felt the sensation of being stuck in place.

There was a hazy memory in the back of his mind of him lying still, but feeling the world move around him in a bright, industrial-like area. He barely remembered being unable to move and his body shivering and wet before fading in and out of consciousness. Looking back, it felt like a dream that he couldn’t wake from at the time. Now that he was more fully awake, he could better understand just how hard his body had pushed its limits to survive.

His mind suddenly registered that he wasn’t lying down, but being held upright instead. His arms were numb from being stretched above his head, and he found no use in attempting to move his legs. He struggled, still trying to feel the sensation of his limbs before he heard something that drew a chill up his spine.

A loud noise suddenly drew his attention, followed by the deafening whirring of a-- no, _ several _machines. 

And screaming. 

Someone-- _ multiple _people were starting to cry out in screams somewhere in the area. Before Meis could fully register the noise, the room bathed itself in an eerie red glow and he heard a harsh whirring right behind him as he felt the world turn and turn around him in mere seconds. 

He was screaming now too, the wind whirling in his ears as he felt his whole body spin uncontrollably where it had been stuck to a wheel. He screamed even as he felt the air get sucked from his lungs, and the inside of his head felt as though it were about to explode from the pressure. He could feel his body respond to the stress, burning up intensely until flames started to spew from his eyes and mouth. But through the sounds of his own screams and his flames roaring around him, he could more clearly hear another scream just neighboring the cell he was in, a voice he recognized in an instant.

_ Gueira. _

Meis didn’t know how long he and everybody else were trapped in the cycle. He had doubts in his mind that the dizzying, nauseating sensation would ever stop, that they were going to unceremoniously die from stress like this. He felt as though his body’s flames would give out any time, but lo and behold there was a stop to it. Slowly, the wheel he was strapped to died down to a stop.

He felt sick, dizzy beyond relief even as his body tried to adjust to the rather sudden stop. Yet he felt he had nothing to cough up left in his stomach. He was left breathing heavily where he was restrained, catching his breath as best as he could even as he was unable to move anything beyond his neck and head, and his torso if he tried to twist... 

Weakly, he lifted his head, trying not to mind the soreness in his neck. He was honestly surprised it hadn’t snapped from the constant force. His gaze drifted to the right, despite being unable to see beyond the walls of his cell save for the clear window directly in front of him. “Gueira…?”

It was mostly quiet, yet he still managed to pick up the heavy breathing on the other side of the wall. “M… Meis? Are you there?”

If Meis’ heart hadn’t already been swelling from exertion, it would’ve been from the relief at hearing the sound of Gueira’s voice. “Gueira…! Are you okay?”

“I…” He sounded shaky, no doubt also caught off-guard by the spinning. “Yeah, yeah, I am…” 

Despite their circumstances, Meis let out a dry laugh. “Thank God…” He caught his breath, the reality of their circumstances setting in again. “We were captured…”

“We were.” The tone in Gueira’s voice was difficult to read. “They finally got us, huh? After all these years…”

“... Yeah. Guess they did...”

“But Lio…?”

“Lio made it out, I saw him.”

“But is he okay?”

“Of course I don’t know the answer to that.” 

He was certain he aimed right at the furthest volcano that the cannon probably could’ve fired at. With any luck, even Freeze Force wouldn’t be able to follow Lio there, if he were able to land safely. Meis hoped he did.

Silence fell between them. Meis looked in front of him, past the window of the cell he was trapped in. Though he couldn’t make out the actual outlines of people, he gazed at the rows and rows of cells in front of him, seemingly endless. He couldn’t hear anything else, no one else talking as far as he knew. But the room they were in was gigantic, spanning far past his peripheral vision. 

“Where are we…?” Meis finally asked.

“Hell if I know…” Gueira grunted, and Meis imagined he was pulling against his restraints with no success. “Whatever just happened though… This has gotta be some kinda torture machine.”

Meis mulled over their surroundings for a few moments. “I think it’s more than that…”

“What?”

Meis’ eyes fixated on the gigantic, diamond-shaped structure in the middle of the enormous space in front of them. “See that diamond?”

“Yeah… what is that?”

“All around us, you noticed, right? There’s Burnish everywhere… just like us. I’d bet we were captured to power something. Probably whatever that diamond is.”

“You think so? What makes you say that?”

“These things we’re hooked up to. They’re like pieces of a generator. Least, that’s what it sounds like to me.”

“Shit, you’re right…”

“Not that it matters much for us now…” He hung his head in defeat. “I’ll be honest… I don’t see any way for us to get out of this one.”

“You’re giving up already?” Gueira sounded incredulous. We can’t just give up yet…! Lio needs us! There’s gotta be something we can do, right?!”

“Gueira…”

Through Gueira’s grunts of effort, Meis could also make out the sounds of his heavy breathing as he tried to summon his strength. “Come… on…! I… I-I can’t even move… My body doesn’t wanna move…”

“They rammed right into us and froze us for who-knows-how-long. You must be exhausted.” Meis waited until Gueira was done struggling again. “Gueira… What’s even your plan if you somehow manage to get out?”

“... I don’t know,” he admitted after a long pause. “I just know that I don’t wanna just… sit here! Not while Lio is out there and in danger…! While everyone is…!”

“...” 

“Those fucking bastards,” Gueira growled. “... We made a promise to protect these Burnish. Now we can’t even do anything about this… I can’t believe they found us out.”

Meis lowered his head, trying to find some kind of comfortable position for his head to hang without straining his body further. There was no way to get comfortable the way he was positioned, though.

“We’ll just have to put our trust in Lio if anything. If anyone can get us out of here, it’s him…” 

But in the back of his mind, there was a persistent thought.

_ The Burnish’s flame will keep burning as long as you make it! _

He closed his eyes. He said that, yet it was still difficult to accept the implications of what he said.

\---

It was hard to tell how much time had passed since they first woke up. There wasn’t anything to do but sleep more as their bodies demanded. And that only made Meis worry more for the unknown amounts of time that had passed between every time he woke up. No matter when he woke up, it was still dark in the large space they had all been left in. Though at times it was hard to even fall asleep, as sometimes even the tiniest sound jolted him awake. And if the wheel he was strapped to moved even the tiniest bit, his body immediately would jump in terror that the spinning would start again. His limbs ached from being held in the position they were in for so long. He could hardly even feel them. He craned his neck every now and then in panic to look and make sure they were still there. His head pounded sometimes from exhaustion and restlessness. He could only imagine how restless Gueira was in the neighboring cell, if he was even awake.

There wasn’t any food to be given to them either for the entire time they waited, though he hardly felt any desire to eat. He didn’t want to say it out loud out of fear of sending their neighbors into a panic, but the lack of food for this magnitude of Burnish forced Meis to theorize that the end would be drawing near for them once they had given enough power to… whatever it was they were supplying their flame for. 

It wasn’t until the ground was suddenly shaking and they felt an exciting wave of Burnish energy reach them that the hope within them reignited, even briefly.

It started as a sudden, resounding shake through the whole area, making their ears buzz from the vibrations. Meis immediately lifted his head. “Gueira. Did you feel that?”

“You too, right?!” Gueira sounded breathless again. It was such a familiar sensation, an unexplainable but warm one that almost enticed them to burn up again from excitement. “It’s gotta be Boss…!”

“I wonder… I wonder if he knows we’re here…” A new surge of energy suddenly blazed through his body without warning. “—?!”

“W-What’s going on?!” Gueira cried out. All around them, Burnish were groaning from the sudden wave of unseen energy, inexplicable burning coursing through them. “W-What’s going on…? Why does it feel so different…?”

Somewhere far, far above them, they could hear a familiar voice. Though it was hard to tell from how distant it was whether it was imagined or real, just far away. 

**“****_This is a warning for Kray Foresight._****”** _Lio’s voice._ **“****_Release all Burnish prisoners immediately. Otherwise I’ll burn Promepolis to the ground. And I will show no mercy to ANYONE._****”**

The whole room shook fiercely, and the roar of flames sounded so distant yet real. 

“Boss…?!” Gueira gasped. “Boss…! You really are coming for us…!”

It was a message that should have instilled hope in them all. Lio was okay. He was _ okay. _

“But…” _ That anger in his words... _

The voice was Lio’s. It was unmistakably his. But at the same time, it felt… unfamiliar. Terrifyingly so. Suddenly he sounded like a stranger. 

“Can you hear it in his voice...?” Meis asked. “You could feel his anger just now… He’s completely serious about showing no mercy to anyone up there.”

The realization seemed to hit Gueira enough that he stayed silent for a few moments. “Lio...”

“Was…” A voice somewhere around them spoke up. It was soft and demure, no doubt another Burnish who was trapped and scared somewhere on the wall with them. “Was that Lio…?”

“Lio…!” Another voice from somewhere below them cried out. Whoever they were, they sounded on the brink of despair. “We’re here…! We’re right here…!”

“But everyone is counting on him…” Meis murmured.

“We’re right here…!” Another voice cried out. “Please, please save us… please end this now… please free us...”

The chorus of cries for help, although not deafening, started to grow in volume as the minutes passed. Dozens, perhaps hundreds or more likely thousands of Burnish, most having lost the strength to speak above a mere whisper, were begging for salvation from someone who may or may not be able to hear them. Part of Meis felt his heart swell in pride over the hope Lio had given him, given _ all _of them. Yet part of him felt empty all the same, hearing all those voices cheer for someone who was lost in his own way already.

They felt the minutes pass. The chilling air of the engine room was thick with tension, one filled with expectation that they’d be saved any moment with how vicious Lio’s rampage sounded from where they all hung. The wailing and crying for help died down ever so slowly until it was near-silent again. The ground’s shaking had stopped. The sheer energy of Lio’s apparent rage faded. 

It grew cold and lifeless in the room once again, and there was nothing to do but wait with dying optimism.

“What happened to him…?” Gueira finally dared to ask. “Just like that…”

“Something must’ve happened...” Meis answered. He dreaded the truth but spoke anyway. “He isn’t here anymore.”

“Maybe they took the fight somewhere else,” Gueira offered. “Or… maybe…” His voice grew quiet in a way that tore at Meis’ heart. “... Lio...”

He was suddenly cut off by one of the cells, one on the other side of the massive room, lighting up with flames. Though the distance between them was great, Gueira and Meis could make out the silhouette of someone’s body spinning in their cell, their flames igniting as they spun faster and faster.

“Oh fuck--” Meis said. He could already hear the whirring behind him as his cell soon followed. “Gueira, it’s starting--!!”

“MEIS!!”

With little warning, their cells started spinning, once more subjecting them to the high speeds that tore the air out of their lungs and forced the flames out of their bodies. Once more, the empty space in front of their cells filled with the screams of thousands of Burnish as they were rendered similarly helpless and tortured. 

This time, however, the spinning went on and on, spanning much longer than mere minutes. There was no getting used to the sensation even as time passed. Even when it felt they couldn’t scream anymore, their voices still spilled wordlessly from their mouths along with the flames harbored inside them. For once, the heat was becoming unbearable, even as it was the fire that had been part of them for ages. 

Meis was vaguely reminded of his father’s warning of Hell as a place. For a deeply religious man, he had spoken at length about the punishments awaiting him if he didn’t comply with what his father thought was the idea of a good man. A place of torture, of unbearable heat and neverending pain, reserved specifically for the vile and truly evil to be punished for eternity. 

_ This was Hell _ , Meis decided. _ Whether they earned it or not. _

_ Were they going to stay like this forever? How long until their bodies gave out under the intense heat? _

He hated to think about it. He wanted to count the seconds they were stuck spinning, but every thought he wanted to think was instantly overtaken by the numbing and almost explosive pressure the chamber’s wheel subjected his head to. 

The roar of flames was deafening against their ears, but distantly, somewhere far off, he swore he could hear heavy crashes and thuds.

_ Must’ve been his imagination _.

More minutes passed, yet there was still no getting used to the high speed of the machine’s spinning. The crashes above were getting louder. There was something about them that lit a spark of hope, as unnerving as they were. Maybe something was happening. Something that would at the very least break the cycle they were stuck in. 

Then, the heavy thuds suddenly subsided. For a frightening moment, the only sound was that of the Burnish’s flames, when suddenly the diamond-shaped structure in the middle of the room began to spark and erupt in increasingly intense flames. 

If it were possible for the entire room to grow hotter, it certainly did. The heat of the Burnish’s flames continued to concentrate in the air, almost threatening to sear Meis’ skin. He swore they were going faster now, or maybe the sensation was that of their flames finally giving out--

** _BOOOOM!!_ **

The diamond-shaped beacon suddenly burst, sending shards of itself flying everywhere. The deafening explosion echoed in the chamber, like a thunderstorm right up against their ears. Finally, somehow, the spinning in every pod came to a slowing halt, just as everything suddenly felt weightless. For a few confusing seconds, it felt as though everyone was falling, like they had been thrown into the air. Meis felt his hair suddenly feel weightless and float around him, and his stomach tightened for impact.

** _CRASH!!!_ **

A resounding chorus of new screams, though abrupt, ripped through the brief silence as the whole structure they were in suddenly crashed, all the walls rocking with a terrifying groan. 

Meis gasped as the world came to a halt. His whole body felt numb, limbs shaking uncontrollably like jelly. He could hear both his heart in his head and a painful ringing in his ears. His head felt light too, especially when he turned to the right. 

“Gueira?!” he called out as soon as he caught his breath. “Are you okay?!”

Even through the thick metal walls and the panicked cries of other Burnish, he could hear heavy, ragged breathing on the other side of the wall. 

“M… Make it stop…”

“Gueira? Are you okay?” he asked again. “It all stopped. We’re not spinning anymore.”

He felt a heavy pang in his stomach upon hearing a restrained, choking sob. “I… I thought we were gonna die…” Gueira’s voice cracked. “W-We’re alive, right…? How are we alive…?”

“I… don’t know...”

“Meis?” His voice was quivering, much like a child’s. “Y-You’re there, right? You’re okay too?”

“I am.” He breathes a sigh of relief. “God… what happened?”

“How long were we stuck like that…?” It was clear Gueira was crying now, evident by the hiccup in his voice and the slight incoherence in his words. “I-I really thought…”

“It stopped, we’re okay for now,” Meis said as soothingly as he could manage. “But…” He looked out the window in front of him. He was certain now that the diamond-shaped centerpiece of the whole room was some kind of engine. A conduit or power concentrator of sorts. “That thing was like an engine core. If it broke, then…”

His thoughts were interrupted by Gueira once more. “Meis… I wanna get outta here.”

“I know,” he said, trying to keep his voice even. “I do too.”

“I swear— I thought I saw my life flash before my eyes…” A shaky breath. “F-Fuck, I-I…” 

“Gueira, it’s okay… We’re okay. We’re gonna be okay.”

“I thought we were gonna die…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay…”

“No it’s not,” he whispered. “What if it isn’t over? We’re still stuck here. They could do anything they wanted with us...”

“... That is true…”

They could hear the heavy thuds and crashing sounds from earlier once again. This time, since the engine had stopped, they could feel light vibrations from where they hung as well. Meis lifted his head, though he felt dizzy upon doing so.

“What’s going on up there…?”

“You think Lio is doing all this?” Gueira asked. Meis turned to the side, then looked down. “He’s gotta be… I can almost feel that flame from here…”

“Maybe it is,” Meis answered simply. “I don’t know how, but--”

He was cut off by what sounded like Gueira laughing forcefully. “You think we’re gonna make it?” Meis realized it sounded more like he was trying to hold himself back from openly sobbing. “Fuck, I can’t take it here anymore...”

“We gotta be okay now,” Meis tried to assure him. It took all his willpower to not break down similarly, to keep it together. “We just have to wait it out. Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah!” Gueira drew a deep, shaky breath. “Yeah. I will be. W-We will be.”

A few tense minutes of waiting passed. Meis hung there with bated breath, listening to the sounds of Gueira’s own shaky breathing. He felt a heavy pain in his chest just listening to him.

“Gueira… deep breaths,” he urged. He listened to Gueira follow his command. “That’s it… You’re okay.”

“S-Sorry…” he hiccuped, sounding exhausted.

“Don’t be… You really hung in there. Just keep hanging in there.”

Gueira sniffled, calming down. “You think everyone else is okay too…?”

Meis didn’t answer at first. “I don’t know,” he said truthfully. “But no matter what, we just gotta hang in there and keep hoping things will turn out okay…”

It felt like they were waiting for another eternity before a bright pink glow caught their attention. Something-- or rather someone-- was entering the room from the side.

“Meis, look! Is that him?!” Gueira suddenly asked, excited. “Boss…! We--”

His words fell short as they saw who was really coming in. 

_ No… it couldn’t be… _

There, on brilliant wings of fire, a tall and well-built man with a crown of messy blond hair flew into the engine room. Even from a distance, they could recognize his silhouette as the same as the statue outside the Foresight Foundation’s main building. 

Kray Foresight himself. 

Within one giant hand made of Burnish flames, a spherical pod of some sort. In another, Lio Fotia. 

“LIO!!” Gueira screamed. 

“_ No...!! _” Meis gasped, speechless. 

They watched helplessly as Kray flew into the remains of the engine core and slammed down the pod in its center, with Lio struggling in his grasp the whole time in futility. 

“Lio!!” Gueira struggled audibly, obviously trying to break free. “No—! How did… He got…!” The sounds of his struggling quickly subsided, his voice trailing into barely above a whisper as despair quickly overtook him. “Even after all that… We couldn’t even save him…?”

Meis stared straight ahead, unable to look away at first. Then, he hung his head, closing his eyes in defeat. That was it. The one shred of hope they had to get out of there, and he was trapped in their tormentor’s hand like a helpless bird. 

His eyes opened again upon the engine core glowing a sickly green again. Though the whole room was still dark, the engine was functional once more, starting up even with most of it in shambles. 

“Gueira...” Meis whispered hopelessly. “It’s gonna start up again…”

“No… Not again…” Meis heard as he weakly lifted his head, staring in horror as Kray finished placing Lio inside. Kray then turned his attention to the leftover control panels, apparently starting it up again. “We’re… We’re gonna get used up again.”

“I don’t want to say it,” Meis started, “but… if this next cycle goes for as long as the last one…”

“... This is really it,” Gueira’s voice was breaking again. His breath quickened. “W-We’re gonna die.”

“Gueira—“ Meis’ voice cracked from the pain in his voice.

“What did we do to deserve this...?!” His breath hitched, deepening on top of quickening. “Why… _ Why did we have to get stuck like this?! _Lio didn’t do anything wrong! Those kids didn’t do anything wrong, neither did Thyma!!”

Meis hung there, not knowing what to say. “Gueira—“

“_ And neither did you!! _” he cried. “You especially…! It isn’t fair…!” His panicked cries wracked his body through. “It isn’t fair… You especially never deserved this…”

“...”

“Meis… I’m sorry.”

“What for…?”

“Everything,” he said simply, sounding utterly lost. “Everything we went through… It was all ‘cause of me. I dragged you into this. I… I ruined your life… I’m sorry. I need to get that out before we go.”

“No, don’t say that.”

“It’s true though.” He took a shaky breath. “And you know it, don’t you? If I hadn’t dragged you down with me that day, when I first turned, you’d be living a way better life away from here.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Anything’s better than here.” His voice was soft, almost uncharacteristically so. Meis didn’t miss the tiredness or regret in his voice. “If I hadn’t called you that day? To come save me? I bet… you’d be in college by now. University more like, probably. Or maybe traveling the world with your band and making it big.”

“You think I would’ve been happy like that?”

“It’d be a hell of a lot better than being stuck here with me—“

“No,” Meis snapped immediately. “Gueira… listen to yourself.”

“I’m just saying--”

“Do you think I would’ve been happy if I let you deal with all that alone?” He raised his voice, though it died down immediately after. “If I left you to die? If I’d lost you? Did you really think I’d rather have that life than you?”

“...”

“All I want is for you to stop blaming yourself for that. Look… you made me smile when nobody else could back when we first met. And even with the life we had to go through on the run... you still made me happy. More than anyone else ever could’ve, you made me happy, alright? You could actually do something most people couldn’t. You…” He did his best to keep his voice steady, even as he could feel his eyes grow wet. “You made me smile.”

“...”

“... You gave me a fulfilling life,” he continued. “One where I felt like I could do something right for other people.” He let the tears pricking his eyes start to roll down his cheeks, having no way to wipe them off. “I would’ve never forgiven myself if I let you handle the whole Burnish thing on your own… I promise you that. Even if we ended up here, and even if we’re gonna die now… I don’t regret the choices I made. I don’t have any regrets.”

Gueira sniffled. “You mean that…?”

He thought hard for a moment, fixing his eyes once again on the engine core, now glowing brighter, almost blinding. Their time was almost up. “... No. I do have one regret.”

“What…?”

“... Not being honest sooner.” He continued to stare ahead blankly. “If I could’ve just had a little more time, I could’ve made the most of it. If I’d just acted sooner… I really would’ve wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“... Heh, well… you kinda did, huh?” Gueira choked out a sad laugh. 

“…” Meis laughed dryly, the sound dying off quickly. “ No, you really don’t get it… I would’ve been satisfied living as a Burnish for longer, as long as you were there right by my side. Or more like… any life, Burnish or not. I would’ve been satisfied with you there… It’s funny, even now I'm not even sure I can bring myself to say it out loud. But... I…” He trailed off, a long pause following. The light of the engine was growing brighter. “I…”

“I do get it, Meis,” Gueira said after a long silence. “I always did. So… You don’t have to force yourself to say it.”

Meis lifted his head slowly. “What?”

“You don’t have to force yourself to say it...” Gueira sounded as though he were holding himself back from breaking down further, evidently trying hard to keep his words coherent. “I already owe you so much... If you say that, I really don’t know how I’d ever repay you…” He sniffled. “So… you don’t have to say it.”

“But...”

“Everything you did for me… Everything you did said it all. I always kinda figured.”

“You’re not upset…?” 

He could hear Gueira sniffle. “No, of course not. But... I just always wondered why, y’know? Why would someone like you give everything up for a screw-up like me? Someone as amazing as you...?”

“Gueira…” He couldn’t help but laugh dryly. “Why do you think?”

“I had a few guesses…” He sniffled. “Heh. I felt stupid thinking about it, honestly... But even though I know for sure now... I still don’t really get it.” His voice was threatening to break again. “I never deserved that...! I never did anything to deserve a partner like you...!”

Meis struggled to hold back his own tears at hearing those words. “No. You did. You made me feel like I could be me. I was happy just being around you. And you were always there for me too… so I have no regrets about what I did.”

“... You…” Through his sniffling, he let out a short laugh. “You can’t seriously mean that.”

“I do. Maybe it didn’t seem like it, but you were all I had too… So now, I don’t have any regrets left.” The whole room became bathed in the sickly green light that slowly bled back into that foreboding red. The machines behind them began to whir, starting up once more. 

“Meis, it’s--”

“I know,” he said, voice growing soft. 

“... I’m glad you’re here.”

“I’m happy I got to be with you until the end, Gueira… I wouldn’t wanna go out any other way.”

“Meis…!” It was Gueira’s turn to laugh, the sound coming out mixed with the chokes of his crying. It died down soon enough as they both stared straight ahead to face their end. “I wouldn’t either…!”

At his last word, the engine started up again, immediately throwing them and every other Burnish in the cells surrounding them into the cycle again. This time, through all the despairing and pained cries around them, they swore they could still hear Lio’s amongst them. 

Meis shut his eyes tight, trying not to focus on the inferno around them. Even with his eyes shut, the brightness of the fire around them shone through. He tried to think of anything that would take his mind off the pain.

Even with his eyes shut, he started to see white.

  
  
  


_ He could see himself standing in a field, somehow. He instantly recognized it as the field he and Gueira used to hang out at after school. It was still grassy and green, just like he remembered it. The sky was much brighter than he remembered, though, almost a blinding white. _

  
  
  


_ He could see the first Burnish he and Gueira met years ago when they were first taken in by Mad Burnish. He could see Leonix, and Yuriika, Blair, and Ravio and Andrei. They looked happy as they chatted amongst themselves incomprehensibly and walked past him, straight ahead. Yet they looked back at him and beckoned him to follow. _

  
  
  


_ He stood there numbly, though, but as he looked around he found more of their Burnish friends walking the same path. He could see the faces of other friends they made and lost. From Rach, to Yza, to Sasha, to Ymir, and Adrian. The faces of Burnish children Gueira got along with. The mothers, and fathers, and lovers, and elders they’d come to know. All those who were lost too quickly, and all those who stuck by them all those years. They flashed through his vision and disappeared as quickly as he saw them, fading away to somewhere far ahead of them. _

  
  
  


_ Finally, he turned his head to find Gueira there next to him, not moving from his side. He could see Gueira’s face returning his gaze, as warm and welcoming as usual. The image lingered in his mind. Gueira was smiling. Happy, finally. Genuinely so. _

  
  


Meis felt his whole body start to grow numb, like it was finally letting go, getting burned up in his own flames, like he was becoming a part of it himself.

  
  
  
  


_ He wished he could see that smile for real one last time. _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


** _CRASH!!_ **

Suddenly, the thundering sound of something breaking through one of the distant walls reached their ears, followed by the sound of someone yelling, somehow far louder than the chorus of Burnish screams. There was an almost familiar blare of sirens, and Meis swore he could see flashes of red and blue lights shining through his eyes squeezed shut.

“** _I’M COMING, LIO!!_ **”

** _BOOM!!_ **

\---

Meis groaned as he finally woke up, blinking the blurriness from his eyes. It was dark in the engine room, save for the soft green light of a Burnish flame. 

He… He was alive.

He wiggled his fingers and tried to move the rest of his extremities. They were all still there. They still felt numb, but that numbness was slowly starting to fade away as he fully regained consciousness. He looked past the glass window of the cell. He could make out two-- no, three figures down below. But before he could focus on that, a soft, whimpering voice caught his ear.

“... come on…” Gueira was saying, sounding as though he were in the process of breaking down crying again, “wake up…!”

“G…” Meis’ throat felt raspy, but when he coughed, he could hear Gueira’s gasp. “Gueira?”

“Meis!!” Gueira cried out. “Are you okay?!”

“I am… We’re... alive…?”

“Asshole, you scared me!!” Gueira chastised. He sounded as though he were about to burst into happy tears, and Meis wondered where he suddenly got the strength to yell after all that. “Don’t ever do that again!!”

“We’re… alive…” He shook the dizziness away. “Are you okay?”

“_ I _ am, but… Meis,” Gueira continued, now sounding panicked. “He’s not looking too hot. Lio‘s...” He trailed off.

Meis finally focused on the figures down on the ground level. He squinted, as the two standing figures were barely illuminated by a Burnish flame. But behind one of them was Lio’s body, fading away into ashes, slowly drifting away.

“_ Lio…!” _Meis cried out. Just then, his eyes drifted to the other two figures. He knew one was Foresight, but the other was… that fireman. 

There the fireman stood, holding a Burnish flame in his hand. His fist suddenly closed over it. Whatever he was saying, they couldn’t hear from their level, but he pointed at Lio behind him, then at the ground, before finally pointing at Foresight and shouting something.

“Is he…” Gueira spoke up, trying to make sense of the situation, “on our side--”

His question was immediately answered as the fireman landed a heavy blow to Kray Foresight’s head, slamming him down into the ground in two swift but heavy punches.

“H-Holy shit…!” Gueira cried out breathlessly.

“Oh my god, he just destroyed him,” Meis joined in. “He _ is _on our side…!”

For someone as imposing and threatening as Foresight, he looked as though he were completely knocked out on the ground just from those two hits alone. In fact, the blows were apparently enough to quite literally disarm him. With a dust of his hands, the fireman turned confidently and made his way back to Lio’s dying body.

“What now, though? Could he actually save him…?” Gueira asked, hope returning to his voice. 

The fireman knelt down on the ground, cradling Lio’s body carefully and shouting something before immediately trying to pump the flame in his hand into Lio’s chest. 

It all clicked for Meis as his eyes honed in on the soothing glow of its flickering wisps. “That flame… That’s Lio’s! It hasn’t completely gone out! He could still save him!”

“But he can’t just force it back in like that…!” Gueira said. “If he ain’t Burnish, how is he gonna--”

“Wait, look,” Meis urged. 

They both watched as he swallowed the flame in his hands. He then leaned down with Lio in his grasp, his lips meeting Lio’s with a shining glow. He held that position for a long while, though it felt as though they were watching with hitched breaths for hours.

Then, little by little, Lio’s body drifted back into place.

“He’s… saving Boss…” Gueira was saying, clearly in awe. “It’s Burnish CPR…!”

Even from where they were strapped to those death contraptions, Meis could feel the energy and life returning to their leader. He watched in awe as the fireman pulled away with Lio still in his arms.

“But how? He can’t be Burnish, right…?”

He felt a different weight on his shoulders lift as life fully returned to Lio down below them, the color and missing pieces returning to his body fully. Lio’s body moved, and his head lifted, fully back.

“Who cares! He’s alive…!” Gueira laughed breathlessly.

“Lio... you made it!” Meis slumped in his confines like he’d been carrying a weight on his shoulders. “Thank God… He… He might actually be saved… Everything we did… We did it...”

Somehow, Gueira found it in himself to laugh. “Yeah, we did…!!” He paused. “Meis…”

Meis could feel his heart swell in relief. This was it. They were going to be okay. He knew that deep down, and he knew Gueira knew it too. 

They were alive. They were going to be okay. 

He heard Gueira’s sniffling again and turned to face him. Even with the wall in the way, he smiled. “Gueira…?”

“Y-You seriously scared me…” Gueira said, and for a moment Meis couldn’t tell if he was crying or laughing. “I thought you really bit it…!”

“I’m here,” Meis reassured. “I ain’t leaving you that easy.” 

“Meis…”

“Yeah?”

“You’re really okay, right?”

“I am. But are you?”

“I am.” He laughed brokenly. “I can’t believe it… we’re alive. I-It’s like, a miracle…”

“You sure you’re okay? You sound like you’re crying.”

“Asshole.” He made a sound that seemed like a mix between a scoff, a laugh, and a sob. “Why wouldn’t I be? Don’t scare me like that ever again. I actually thought—“

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“If you’re really sorry, then worry about it later! When we get outta here, let’s start living our best lives, Meis, okay?!” He paused. “We’ll make the rest of our lives worth it together!”

“T-Together…?” Meis echoed. _ They already had been, hadn’t they? But the way Gueira said that brought to mind... _

Instantly, he remembered what transpired before the engine started up for the last time. 

He stammered, trying to reclaim his words. “B-By the way, you can just… forget--”

“Don’t just backtrack now!” Gueira snapped. “For fuck’s sake, I’m not an idiot. It’s okay, all right?! I accept you the way you are!”

Meis quickly turned his head back to the scene in front of them. Down on the ground level, that Burning Rescue rookie had started yelling about something, pacing back and forth as if in a panic. “H-Hey, look, what’s got him all worked up?”

“Ugh, and don’t go changing the subject!” Gueira chastised again. “Look, seriously, I’m not gonna hold it over your head or anything, okay? All I’m saying is… we’ll get everything sorted out, and I ain’t gonna leave your side the whole time, got it? Right now, we got more important things to worry about!”

“R…” _ Just what got him so fired up all of a sudden? _“Right…!”

Suddenly, the whole engine room was bathed in a warm, green light— the same kind of warmth they’d come to associate Lio with. He’d climbed into the pod with that firefighter, shirt tossed aside, and was gathering the energy of the flames now collecting around him. 

“What’s going on now…?”

Suddenly, the inferno of flames, now a soothing green, started to engulf everything. Somehow, without much of an explanation, the intent of their Boss and that fireman reached them. The fire within their bodies and souls were calling out, reacting to the inferno Lio had started. 

_ Burning… _The desire to burn was suddenly eating away at them again, but it felt different. It felt angry, yet at the same time excited. It felt like it wanted to grow out of control, yet at the same time there was a sense of restraint. It felt like it wanted to reach out and truly burn everything, yet at the same time there was a desire to preserve everything in its path, to not actually destroy everything.

“_ Everyone! _ ” Lio called out. “ _ Listen up! We’re going to burn everything, in one big, complete combustion! We’ll need the help of everyone here! We’ll burn everything… and we’ll do it completely this time! _”

His words reached them much like they had before. Only this time, he was truly himself again. Meis smiled a proud smile and nodded. 

“Okay, Boss…!” Meis called back, even though he couldn’t tell if his words would reach. 

Already, Gueira was eager to jump on board too, similarly touched by their leader’s return.“You got it, Boss!!”

Though still shackled, they were free to use their flames once more, giving off parts of it— parts of _ themselves _— to lend to Lio. Every single Burnish within the engine had the same idea, apparently, having heard Lio’s words, as a massive wave of Burnish flames siphoned off the walls and collected over Lio as well. 

** _“BOOOSSSS!!”_ **

The wave of flames overtook the whole space in the engine, and the sound of the cell walls shattering resonated everywhere in one huge, resounding crash as the pod Lio and that firefighter were in shot straight up clear into the sky. 

Both Gueira and Meis flew forward, yet felt weightless as their neighboring Burnish fell forward with them, tumbling onto the safety net that was the wave of Burnish fire all around them. Meis looked over to find Gueira cackling in mad glee as he rolled out of the cell, free and still healthy. _ Alive _. 

They were falling slowly to the solid floor of the engine room, Burnish everywhere joining them in the descent as if they were all weightless or falling through water. 

They were alive. They were _ free. _

In his elation, Meis couldn’t help but throw himself towards Gueira, tackling him and holding onto him. Gueira didn’t remark aloud, still laughing in what sounded like his own relief. 

The ground suddenly groaned and rumbled, and a sudden shockwave jostled everyone and threw them into the air again just as the duo landed safely on the ground. Gueira laughed even louder, now clutching tightly to the fabric of Meis’ shirt as if he never wanted to let go. 

What Lio and that Burning Rescue rookie were doing with their flames became clear in a heartbeat. They were burning the entire planet without harming it, just as the flames inside the Burnish had wanted. The feeling of total combustion. Total freedom, total expression.

Another shockwave shook the room again, sending every single Burnish into the air once more. The air was growing even hotter, almost to unbearable degrees even for them. Yet there was no danger to it, not to them or anybody else.

Meis was laughing now too, from both relief and the feeling of elation from total combustion. Tears were still pricking at his eyes, and when he opened them to look around, he could see tears flying from Gueira’s eyes too, in spite of the huge grin on his face. 

They were getting launched off the ground with each shockwave. Flames were breaking through and cracking all the walls within the gigantic room of the engine. Soon, the whole area was so saturated in the teal flames of combustion that they couldn’t even make out the solid space around anymore. 

But they couldn’t care less in the moment. 

They were alive. Neither of them knew how, but they were alive, and breathing, and _ burning _ , and it felt _ good. _

  
  


But like all good feelings, it all soon came to an end. 

  
  


Both Gueira and Meis opened their eyes, and suddenly it was just them in what looked to be a black, empty void. The burning warmth around them had settled, still around them but slowly dying down. They both looked around the void, to find the spaces filled with wisps of color flying away to some far off light in the distance. All around them, Burnish flames were drifting away somewhere, to the sky, maybe. Who knew where. 

“Meis…?” Gueira was looking down at his open hand, watching his flame ascend and leave his palm as well, leaving an empty, cold feeling behind. 

Meis opened his hands too. His flame was drifting upward, apparently to join the other bits of embers in the sky. “What is this...?”

“... They’re leaving…?” Gueira lifted his hand to the sky, as did Meis. The remaining flames continued to drift upward. “But… why? What are they…?”

Meis watched silently as the blue embers in his hand drifted to the sky, dancing around the red embers that left Gueira’s hand as well. They were different from the other flames around them. They were more… active. He swore he could hear something akin to giggling as they merged in passing, creating purple embers every time they crossed paths. They drifted close together, almost dancing in harmony as they flew off to the far-off distance, lost amongst other fiery wisps and converging at the light, slowly dying away from view.

“It’s… us.”

\---

The inside of the engine was cold once again when Meis woke up. All around, there were other Burnish lying around, some coming to. At a glance, it looked like no one was in serious pain or agony. If anything, they looked confused. 

His attention snapped downward as he heard a noise under where he had been laying. Startled, he rolled off Gueira’s body as he woke up, rubbing his eyes and looking up at Meis. 

“Meis…?”

He was okay. He wasn’t visibly injured at least, nor did he even look or sound that tired anymore. A wave of relief washed over Meis as he smiled almost tearfully. “Gueira…!”

Before the redhead could even sit up fully, Meis threw his arms around him, squeezing him tight around the chest. He could hear Gueira laugh softly as he felt his arms return the embrace. It felt warm, very much welcome in the now-chilly engine room. 

They lingered like that for a while, neither loosening their grip on the other. Meis could’ve sworn he could feel Gueira’s heartbeat with how tightly they were pressed against each other. Or maybe it was his own. It was comforting to hear, either way. 

Finally they parted, and Meis took a moment to simply look at Gueira’s face. His hands rose to Gueira’s cheeks and held them tenderly as he surveyed the look on his face. He was okay. He was alive. They both were. 

“Gueira…”

There was a certain sadness to the smile on Gueira’s face, one that Meis knew the reason for even though they were still unsure if it was true. Gueira’s smile faded, and he broke the gaze between them to look down at his hands, as did Meis. 

“So are we…”

Meis ran a thumb over the palm of his own hand. It felt cold. And empty. No flame sprang to life on his palm like it had been for years when he tried to bring it into existence “... It feels like it.”

His bittersweet smile returned. “Well… as long as we both got outta there…” They locked gazes again. “We both made it.”

“We did…”

Once more, they held gazes for what felt like precious seconds until Gueira suddenly grew alert and stood. “Hey, come on, we gotta find a way out and see if Lio’s okay.”

Meis stood as well. “Right! But the others…”

“We’ll get help for everyone! Let’s get outta here first!”

\---

It had been a challenge just to find where to exit the engine, especially since most of its structures had collapsed on the inside. But somehow, through aimless running and trial and error, the two eventually found a hatchway leading to the outside. Gueira shielded his eyes as he forced open the hatch from the top of the ladder they’d found at the end of a hallway. 

“Jesus, it’s bright,” he muttered as he pushed the door open with a heavy clang. He climbed out, with Meis following. 

Meis stopped, however, at the very top. From where he was, he could already see the sun start to rise over the horizon. It was warm. Comfortingly warm. 

He already missed the feeling of having a flame attached to him. It was like a longtime friend had suddenly disappeared. He felt physically fine, and he was sure Gueira was too based on his energy, but there was an empty hollowness inside him. His hands felt cold.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as Gueira’s hand entered his field of vision. He looked up to find Gueira looking down at him with a welcoming smile. 

“Come on, I can see Lio. We’re not gonna keep him waiting, are we?”

Meis reached up and pulled himself up, noting the warmth of Gueira’s palm and returning the smile. Once he climbed up, he looked up the slope of the ship’s roof. In the distance, they could see quite a few people congregating at the far end of the roof, almost all of them looking to the rising sun. And lo and behold, at the very end was Lio, his fist connecting with that of that Burning Rescue rookie in a fist bump. 

A squeeze of his hand reminded him he hadn’t let go of Gueira’s hand. Just as he realized, however, Gueira let go to cup his hands around his mouth. “BOSS!!”

Somehow, his voice reached, and Lio looked their way. Though they were far away, they could see a wide grin suddenly spread on his face, and he waved his arm at them enthusiastically. 

“Come on, Meis!” Gueira urged, already running ahead. “BOSS!!”

“Ah— wait up!” Meis called after, running a short distance behind. “Boss...! We’re okay…!”

With that, the two broke into a sprint, running alongside each other towards the new day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope to be back again soon! Don't forget to leave a kudos and comment! Seriously, it'll help spur me to work again. Tell me what you think! And where you think things will go from here!

**Author's Note:**

> Hoo lets hope I can finish the next chapter soon enough and not fall into the trap of not finishing yet another multi-chap. But since the Promare Discord server is full of lovely and supportive people I get the feeling that won’t happen as easily. Shoutout to the discord folks too!! Thank you for your encouragement!!
> 
> Edit: Oh yeah!! I’m Mad Birdish (Chubirb) on the server by the way and my Twitter is @dreamtiel if you ever wanna hit me up. And maybe point me to some GueiMeis stuff. Please and thank you


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